Secrétaire à abattant; France, Napoleon III, ¾ of the 19th century.

Secrétaire à abattant; France, Napoleon III, ¾ of the 19th century.
Oak frame, ebonized wood and gilt bronze mounts.
Measurements: 136 x 93 x 37 cm.
Secrétaire produced during the reign of Napoleon III (1852-1870), a period characterized by an intense historicist recovery of previous styles and by an extraordinary development of the decorative arts. The piece corresponds to a type of folding desk that was consolidated in the 18th century, which experienced a renewed fortune in the 19th century thanks to the eclectic taste of the Second Empire and the technical sophistication of Parisian workshops.The furniture has an oak structure, a wood that is common for its resistance, coated on the outside with an ebonized finish of intense brightness that imitates the appearance of ebony, a very appreciated resource in the luxury decoration of the time for its ability to enhance the contrast with the metal frames. The deep black surface thus acts as a scenographic backdrop for an abundant repertoire of gilded bronze applications, arranged according to a symmetrical composition that emphasizes the architecture of the piece of furniture. The upper body is dominated by the characteristic hinged panel that hides the writing space, delimited by frames of gilded moldings and ornamented in the center with a classically inspired female mask surrounded by vegetal scrolls. This motif, with mythological resonances, is part of the ornamental tradition of 17th and 18th century French furniture, whose forms were freely reinterpreted during the Second Empire. The corners and frames are enriched with gilded bronze applications in the form of scrolls, acanthus leaves and small cartouches, elements that reinforce the decorative reading of the whole and that evidence the quality of the casting and chiseling work.
The great manufactories and workshops, often linked to the presentations of the Paris Universal Exposition of 1855 and the Paris Universal Exposition of 1867, encouraged the creation of ornately rich furnishings for both the aristocratic market and a rising bourgeoisie eager to assert its status through sumptuous interiors.