Secreter. France, Louis XVI period and style. Last third of the 18th century.

Secreter. France, Louis XVI period and style. Last third of the 18th century.
Mahogany wood and leather cover.
In good state of preservation.
Measurements: 145 x 89 x 43 cm.

It is a secrétaire à abattant of Louis XVI period, made in France in the last third of the 18th century, conceived as a piece of furniture of intellectual and representative use, destined to private cabinets or work spaces inside aristocratic or cultured bourgeois residences.

The furniture has a vertical and rigorously balanced structure, in accordance with the aesthetic principles of Neoclassicism. Its exterior appearance is sober and orderly, with flat surfaces enlivened by fine geometric fillets that emphasize the architecture of the whole without resorting to excessive ornamentation. This decorative restraint is fully in keeping with Louis XVI taste, which favors formal clarity, symmetry and a reference to classical antiquity.

The hinged lid, when opened, reveals a carefully organized interior, composed of small drawers and compartments for writing, correspondence and document storage. This interior, designed for both functionality and visual delight, reflects the Enlightenment ideal of order and rationality. The writing surface integrated into the lid discreetly transforms the piece of furniture into a complete desk, keeping its function closed when not in use.

This type of secretaire is fully in keeping with the cultural context of the Age of Enlightenment, when furniture ceased to be merely a sign of status and also became an instrument at the service of thinking, reading and writing. The secrétaire à abattant is, in this sense, one of the most representative pieces of furniture of the Louis XVI period, a perfect synthesis of utility, elegance and formal rigor.

Overall, the piece is a characteristic example of late 18th century French furniture, where the nobility of materials, architectural proportion and decorative restraint combine to create an object of great aesthetic dignity and historical value.