Louis XVI/Directory Secretary

Restoration of a drop-front secretary desk built in oak and veneered with mottled mahogany and mahogany from Saint Domingue. Its design must date from the late 18th century.

Its white Carrara marble top is surrounded by a partially openwork brass gallery.
It opens with a drawer in the upper part, a drop-front in the middle and three drawers in the lower part; all the original locks close with a cloverleaf key.
All the panels on the front and sides are decorated with brass quarter-round frames.
The speckled mahogany veneer drop-front opens, secured by a central and lateral bolt lock, to reveal a tabernacle comprising a shelf and nine drawers, also fitted with quarter-round molding and brass handles. The black leather top has been completely reupholstered and adorned with a gilt Greek key frieze.
The sides consist of a small panel at the top and a larger rectangular panel.
The semi-circular uprights are fitted with a striated brass scraper in the upper part, fluted along the rest of the length and molded; The front feet end in a spinning top surmounted by a bronze ring.

There is significant restoration work to be done. The drop-front is split across its width by 4 mm, one brass flute is missing, the others are almost all coming loose, the sides are starting to crack, the mahogany moldings are coming loose, some wood and brass moldings are damaged, some veneers are coming loose, the rear left leg is completely eaten away by worms, the drawers do not work properly and the drop-front mechanism no longer works.

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After the bronze mounts were removed, the restoration involved completely dismantling the secretary desk to repair the broken tenons. The fluting was removed, annealed, and then re-glued using a vacuum-bonding method with fish glue. The mahogany moldings were also re-glued with fish glue. Some damaged wood and brass moldings were replaced with new ones. The drawer sides were modified to ensure proper operation. The wood and brass veneers and moldings were re-glued using a vacuum-bonding method. The drawer panels and bottoms were reamed and re-glued. The back stile, which had been damaged by woodworm, was grafted with a new piece of beech.

Then, once each element was restored, the entire piece of furniture was reassembled using fish glue. Except for the legs, which will be glued on after varnishing and reassembling the bronze mounts.

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For the toilet seat, the veneer was removed to tighten the gap on the panel. The gap in the panel was then filled by routing out two-thirds of its thickness and then covered with a piece of solid poplar facing. The veneer was then glued back in its original position using hot glue.

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After being stripped and cleaned, the entire secretary desk—except for the brass fittings—was French polished, first with two coats of clear varnish followed by two coats of cherry varnish to slightly redden the mahogany, which had oxidized over time. The brass fittings were then varnished with a clear varnish, the recipe for which Roubo provides in his book.

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To see previous restorations : https://ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr/en-ce-moment-a-latelier/

You can find this secretary at Antiques Stéphane Guin