The desk with file case and pendulum

The desk with file case and pendulum

• Localisation : Gallery of Battles
• Année de création :Circa 1757
• Artiste :Joseph Baumhauer

Description

Oak, ebony and brass. Ebony veneer, gilded bronze and leather.

The desk and its file case and pendulum, attributed to the cabinet maker Joseph Baumhauer, with bronzes by Caffieri, was made around 1757 for the art lover and collector Ange-Laurent Lalive de Jully. This piece of furniture, said to be “in the Greek style”, apparent on Louis-Joseph Le Lorrain’s cards, is inspired by Antiquity, which was in fashion at the time thanks to the discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum. It remains, in the history of decorative arts, one of the finest examples of early Neoclassicism. This desk was acquired by the Duke of Aumale in 1882.