Secrétaire in satiné and Chinese lacquer, attributed to François Garnier

Secrétaire en pente, veneered in satinwood, with compartments of Chinese lacquer decorated on a black background, gilt bronze ornaments, attributed to FG (François Garnier), Louis XV period.
Size (H x W x D): 84 x 68 x 44,5 cm.

Very beautiful small sloping secretary called "dos d'âne", from the middle of the Louis XV period, whose forms of the case are not without recalling the work of cabinetmakers such as Jacques Dubois or François Garnier. The furniture is richly veneered with satin and Chinese lacquer panels with exotic birds and qilin, those fantastic Chinese creatures that look like dragons and lions. It is also embellished with the famous three-legged toad, which brings infinite wealth to whoever captures it.

We have restored this desk to its original state, without the heavy gilded bronze additions from the late 19th century or later.

Inside, the theater opens with a few beautiful drawers with curved and curved fronts like the case of the furniture, and conceals a compartment under a sliding tray. Everything is plated in satin as well.

Although it is not stamped, the very good quality of this secretary, the quality of the chosen wood, as well as the choice of the Chinese lacquer indicate that it comes from the workshop of a very good Parisian cabinetmaker of the Louis XV period.

FG ?

A very similar secretary by the cut of its case and the arrangement of the lacquer elements, stamped FG (stamp identified as that of François Garnier before 1743), tends to make attribute our secretary to this cabinetmaker.

Indeed, each cabinetmaker had a template that he regularly used, either to veneer it or to varnish it. Each template had characteristic lines that differentiated it from the work of other workshops. However, the secretary sold by Joron-Derem in 2010, stamped FG, resembles ours in every way, both inside and out.


Restorations of use and maintenance. One drawer changed. The original drawer has been preserved and can be reinstated upon request.