This small desk exemplifies the hallmarks of Bernard II van Risenburgh, one of the most sought-after ébénistes (cabinetmakers) during the reign of Louis XV. These include the exquisite floral marquetry of the top, the elegantly elongated cabriole legs, and the refined, individualized gilt-bronze mounts, which he likely designed himself. The top of the desk is hinged to reveal compartments on the inside, and at the side a drawer would have accommodated containers for ink, sand, and a sponge. This type of small table was a significant innovation of the period, recognized for combining portability, flexibility of use, and a striking Rococo aesthetic. It was thus a popular object among members of the mid-eighteenth-century European elite, as testified to by the inclusion of a similar example in François Boucher’s 1756 portrait of Madame de Pompadour in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich. The table makes an outstanding addition to the Fine Arts Museums’ existing collection of superb objects by van Risenburgh including the 1763 Coventry secrétaire and writing table inlaid with tulipwood veneer, mother-of-pearl, and horn marquetry. Working with marchands-merciers (dealers/decorators) like Thomas-Joachim Hébert and Lazare Duvaux, who supplied him with rarefied materials like Japanese lacquer and Sèvres porcelain, van Risenburgh followed in the cabinetry tradition of French cabinetmaker André-Charles Boulle (1642–1732), developing his own refined Rococo vocabulary, including a technique known as bois de bout (end cut) marquetry, where he cut wood in lateral cross sections, often used for his floral motifs.Jeffrey Fraiman and David Oakey in Gifts of Art (2025), p. 74.