Empire Office At Caryatids

Empire flat desk in mahogany and mahogany veneer, rectangular in shape with two boxes joined by a central drawer with side pull tab. It opens with four drawers, one of which has a box. It is supported by four imposing caryatids with the heads of an ancient young woman, a sheathed body ending in lion's claws. The locks are decorated with gilt bronze appliques decorated with two symmetrical swans, the wings parted, the tail ending in acanthus leaf with palmettes. (The swan theme evokes the myth of the birth of Apollo on the island of Devos). Ref. : Collection of drawings from the Joseph Beunat factory 1813 p 34 by Louis Marie Normand. The crotch is decorated with chiseled and gilded bronze plaques. Empire period early nineteenth. Long. : 1.28 m. High. : 0.75 m. Teacher. : 0.65 m. Buffer varnish