Antique ormolu mounted writing table by Dasson

Crafted in a restrained Louis XV style, the table stands on four cabriole legs, set on ormolu (gilt bronze) curled foliate feet, which extend up the legs to form scrolled, leafy motifs. The table body features an open compartment on its front and right side, the latter flanked by marquetry trellis patterns, with a pull-out, leather-topped writing table above. On the left side of the table, there is a trellis marquetry door, which opens onto a white marble-lined interior. The circular table top is covered with ‘bleu turquin’ marble, which is edged with an ormolu gallery, pierced with scrolling foliate patterns. The far side of the table top features a covered letter-rack, the back of which is decorated with trellis marquetry work. This is covered by a ‘bleu turquin’ marble top, with a pierced ormolu border. The letter-rack is surmounted by a three-light candelabrum, composed of foliate branches, supporting wide drip-pans and urn-shaped capitals with simple sconces. These hold candle-tubes, which have been fitted for electricity.

The table is signed–both on the ormolu top and on the wooden underside–‘Henry Dasson & Cie, 1891’. Henry Dasson was an important ébéniste (cabinetmaker), working in Paris in the late 19^th Century. He was renowned for the fine quality of his ormolu-mounted furniture, which often creatively revived 18^th Century Louis XV and Louis XVI styles. Dasson’s furniture was purchased by members of royalty and the nobility, both in France and abroad, and remains highly collectable today.