Games and work table, ca. 1870

French games and work table (Table à ouvrage) in the Louis XVI style, crafted around 1870. The rectangular body rests on straight, tapered square legs decorated with linear and floral band inlays. The hinged top presents a central pictorial medallion with a figurative depiction of a female musician on a checkerboard trompe-l'œil floor. This motif is framed by a symmetrical marquetry of acanthus tendrils and floral arabesques on a contrasting dark background. The inlays are executed in various premium veneers such as palisander, tulipwood, rosewood, satinwood, and boxwood, featuring three-dimensional shading achieved through traditional sand-burning techniques. The interior of the table reveals a veneered surface with a corresponding green cloth covering. This meticulously restored piece is finished with a traditional, hand-applied French shellac polish.