Multiple Boudoir Table, Parisian Work, Louis XVI Period

An interesting and rare Louis XVI period multi-functional table. Constructed of beech and softwood, veneered with rosewood, the drawers are also beech. The tapered legs feature false fluting on their outer faces in black-stained wood and maple; the same false fluting is found on the connecting blocks of the apron. The apron faces are veneered with rectangular rosewood panels, each framed by a triple fillet: a black-stained wood fillet framed by boxwood fillets. The original white Carrara marble top shows slight wear consistent with age, but is undamaged. Internal features: Under the tabletop: - a folding dressing mirror (table mirror) with a checkerboard for playing checkers on the other side - a games box that unfolds, revealing a backgammon board inside and a chessboard outside. On the left: Dressing table drawer with a drop-front revealing a compartment. Right-hand drawer for storing checkers and backgammon pieces, as well as a secret drawer for chess pieces. Chess pieces, most likely original, are made of turned boxwood (light pieces in natural boxwood / dark pieces in black-stained boxwood). A particularly interesting feature: the knights, usually carved, are here turned, a characteristic found on some French games from the late 18th century. The checkerboard is made of natural maple and blackened wood. The backgammon board is rosewood veneer, with green-stained wood and natural maple points. A rare mechanical feature: the right-hand drawer, containing the checkers/backgammon pieces, has a secret side drawer, accessible only when the main drawer is pulled out; the latter then slides to the right, providing access to the chess pieces. The left-hand drawer, typical of Louis XVI dressing table fittings, opens with a drop-front and reveals a compartment lined with period Toile de Jouy fabric. CONTEXTUALIZATION — FUNCTION: This type of furniture perfectly reflects the evolving uses of small Parisian apartments in the second half of the 18th century. It is a multi-purpose piece, designed for the boudoir, intended to serve various purposes throughout the day without requiring a change of room: preparing for entertaining using the dressing table and its mirror, sharing a hot drink or a snack on the marble top with its recessed basin, writing or drawing, and then playing board games—chess, checkers, or backgammon—which were then a major pastime for the urban elite and the nobility. The combination of these functions within a single table accurately encapsulates the spirit of intimacy, sociability, and adaptable comfort that characterized the Parisian lifestyle under Louis XVI. Bronze mounts: 2 medallion keyhole escutcheons with ribboned knots, 4 sabots on the feet, 2 lenticular pull knobs for the two sliding drawers. Comparisons/Sources: A comparable example (Louis XVI games table, opening with two drawers, marble top, layout for backgammon/checkers/chess) was published in the Christie's London sale — Jacques Bircklé — July 4, 2017. The vast majority of Louis XVI games tables of this type (backgammon/checkers/writing) are made of mahogany, as Pierre Kjellberg's typology reminds us (Le meuble français et européen, p. 359). Examples veneered in precious woods are considerably rarer. Our model falls into this category, as do some of Bircklé's models. Condition: The two drawer locks are original and function with an 18th-century wrought-iron key. The cheval mirror is original. The piece has been restored: occasional regluing, small veneer grafts; waxed varnish finish. Excellent overall functionality; all the mechanisms slide smoothly. Dimensions: H. 72 cm — L. 83.5 cm — D. 50.5 cm