The present example exemplifies the maturity of the model: a sliding cylinder enclosing a fully fitted interior, a mechanically integrated locking system, extendable writing surfaces, and finely orchestrated gilt-bronze mounts that articulate and enrich the architectural structure.

The desk finds its closest parallels among a small corpus of related works preserved today in major international collections . Particularly comparable is the example in the National Gallery of Art, Washington (inv. 1942.9.410), which shares an almost identical overall conception and bronze repertory. Other significant examples include desks at the Archives nationales (Hôtel de Soubise), the Louvre (on deposit at the Hôtel de la Marine, inv. 5160), Woburn Abbey, Waddesdon Manor (inv. 2544), Buckingham Palace (inv. RCIN 2431), and the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum (inv. 2082).

Several of these were delivered directly to the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne or to members of the royal family, confirming that this refined and technically demanding model was reserved for the highest administrative and aristocratic circles. Within this prestigious lineage, the present desk stands as a fully accomplished and harmoniously proportioned variant, distinguished by the quality of its execution and the coherence of its decorative scheme.

Its provenance is equally exceptional and thoroughly documented since the 19th century. It first appeared in the celebrated collection of Stephens and Yolande Lyne-Stephens at Lynford Hall, Norfolk, and was included as lot 99 in the landmark Christie’s sale of 1895.

The desk subsequently entered the collection of Ludwig Neumann at 11 Grosvenor Square, London, before passing to Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood, at Chesterfield House, and later to Ivor Guest, 2nd Viscount Wimborne.

These successive owners rank among the most influential British collectors of French 18th-century furniture, whose acquisitions—often made at revolutionary or post-revolutionary sales—shaped the formation of some of the finest collections outside France.

Through both its model and its history, this desk embodies the dual narrative of royal French craftsmanship and distinguished British collecting. It stands not only as a masterpiece of Riesener’s mature production but also as a witness to the enduring prestige of French royal furniture in the grand houses and emblematic interiors of Britain.