Louis XIV table in ribboned satin and guaiac, Rochelais work, early 18th century

Exceptional desk table in solid ribboned satinwood resting on four guaiac baluster legs linked by an X-shaped brace.
It opens to a drawer sliding directly under the top, which is mounted on a moulded frame without pegs and secured by two concealed tenons on the side rails.
The front crosspiece under the drawer is scalloped, while the side and back crosspieces are finely molded.
The dovetailed drawer bottoms and sides are in original fir, and it has retained its pretty guaiac top.
An exceptional Rochelais work from the early 18th century in a very fine state of preservation, the simple conservation restorations were carried out by an experienced cabinetmaker.
Furniture in solid ribboned satinwood is extremely rare, because of its characteristic sheen. The great Parisian cabinetmakers such as Oeben and Riesener used it for veneering on royal commissions.
Note the walnut foot ball, restored in the 19th century by a carpenter or cabinetmaker who no longer had any guaiac wood.