A Louis XVI desk, with mechanism attributed to Caspar Schneider

Louis XVI period desk, dressing table with mechanism attributed to Caspar Schneider.
Rare desk with ejector mechanism forming a dressing table in solid Cuban mahogany and Cuban mahogany veneer on all sides. The coffered belt opens with three quadrangular drawers; two square sides and a rectangle for the middle one. The right drawer is divided into three equal bowls. The middle one where slides on all its depth a shelf with a veneer frame sheathed in havana morocco gilded with small irons; this one is on its right side provided with three compartments intended for the inkwell, the powder box and the sponge box. The tray is raised by two brass hinges with blocking by pivot enclosing a flap lined with a mirror. This one is not as usual simply fixed on the flap, but held by a metal mechanism mounted on a sliding frame. The latter is equipped with two circular rack plates that allow the mirror to be adjusted in depth. These are inserted in a sheet of veined white marble, which is itself encircled by an inverted profile at the frame of the mirror in order to fit it once the tray is lowered. The mirror is held in the tray by a complex double lateral release ejector system with bolts and latches. This ingenious system makes it possible to easily modify the advance of the mirror according to the specificities of the user's vison without worrying about the excessive weight of a conventional wooden tray doubled with its mirror. The set rests on a base with four tapered legs with deep grooves, strangled at their tops and pinched at their bases. Beautiful ornamentation such as entries of locks, shoes and locking system in copper and gilded bronze. A key condemns the three locks of the drawers and that of the tray. Gaspard Schneider, a disciple of the ingenious Riesener and the genius of Oeben, transformed the traditional pedestal desk from a conventional piece of furniture to a piece of furniture with transformations and combinations. The attribution of this piece of furniture to Gaspard Schneider is motivated by a similar model with identical quotations passed at Drouot in March 2009. Dimensions: Closed height 73.3cm, width 89.6cm, depth 56.8. Open height 125.8cm.
Perfect condition without repairs, only the varnish has been redone.
SCHNEIDER (Caspar), originally from Germany, worked in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine around the middle of the reign of Louis XVI. He was commonly known by the first name of Gaspard.
In 1785, he is mentioned in the royal accounts for the payment of a secretary in veneer, for which he had made the cabinetwork and Thomire the bronzes. Soon after, on March 15, 1786, he obtained letters of mastery. This skilful craftsman continued to supply works to the Crown and also received orders for the Queen's private service. He lived in the Grande rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine. Ruined by the Revolution, he had to close his workshop and retired to rue Beautreillis. In December 1799, he lost his wife, Marie-Catherine Oeben. To sign his works, the master used a stamp where his first name appears in full, spelled in German: CASPAR SCHNEIDER.
His mark was discovered, among other things, on a precious pedestal table from the furniture of Marie-Antoinette in Saint-Cloud and which decorated the Petit Trianon.
Bibliography : The cabinetmakers of the XVIIIth century by Count François de Salverte.