Elegant sloping desk in burr cedar and amaranth veneer, open - Lot 116

Elegant sloping desk in burr cedar and amaranth veneer, opening with a flap and a drawer in the waist. The reverse side is sheathed in blue felt and reveals two drawers. Gilt bronze trim: openwork gallery, side handles, falls and sabots. Signed: TAHAN ébéniste de l'Empereur (on the flap lock). Paris. XIth century. Louis XV style H_82 cm W_67 cm D_ 46,5 cm Small chips. Jean-Pierre-Alexandre TAHAN (1813 - 1892) was heir to the cabinetmaking workshop of his father Pierre-Lambert TAHAN (1780 - 1844). It was under his impetus that the company expanded to become one of the most famous in Paris. Appointed cabinetmaker to Napoleon III, he became the great specialist in precious furniture, which an 1861 article in La Chronique des arts et de la curiosité described as follows: "He is one of those manufacturers who anticipate fashion and set the tone instead of being subjected to it". Expert: Stéphane Pépe