Louis XVI Bureau Plat

Description

Exceptionally fine Louis XVI style bureau plat by Maison Millet having gilt tooled green leather top having gilt bronze trimmed mahogany banding with pull out slides, over three drawers, the center one with lock signed “Millet a Paris” the two flanking drawers with lion mask backplates and gilt bronze pulls ove4 square tapered legs with gilt bronze trim and feet. France circa 1880 after a model now in the Louve by Guillaume Benneman, a favorite ebentise of Marie Antoinette.
Maison Millet was founded by Theodore Millet in 1853 and flourished during the Belle Epoque in France. It made furniture both in emerging modern styles like Art Nouveau, as well as in the more classic 18th Century Louis XV and Louis XVI styles. The firm was also granted permission to copy important pieces in the National collections and had many pieces which won top honors at national and international exhibitions. The firm closed in 1912.