Writing table
ca. 1760–70
Medium
Oak, veneered with rosewood, endcut kingwood, banding of holly, gilt-bronze
Dimensions
28 3/4 x 18 1/4 x 13 1/2 in. (73 x 46.4 x 34.3cm)
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture
Culture
French, Paris
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982
Accession Number
1982.60.62
Art Historical Context
This elegant writing table, crafted the renowned Parisian cabinetmaker Roger Vandruse, known as Lacroix, around 1760–70, exemplifies the opulence of Louis XV-era French furniture. Lacroix, a master *ébéniste* active in Paris, was celebrated for his intricate designs that bridged the playful curves of Rococo with emerging Neoclassical restraint. Such *bonheurs-du-jour*—compact writing desks—were prized by the aristocracy for intimate salons, where ladies penned letters amid gilded splendor. The table's construction highlights virtuoso 18th-century techniques: a sturdy oak carcase veneered in e...