Louis XV style desk

Ebénisterie Mathieu Vath

Une restauration importante pour ce petit bureau de style Louis XV richement garni de bronzes, en placage de rosewood.

The restoration involved replacing the missing veneer while preserving as much of the remaining material as possible. This was achieved by using veneer that was sliced, scraped, sanded, oxidized, and varnished before being re-glued, thus avoiding the need to sand the piece before finishing. Rosewood is a very dark wood that lightens with age, developing a beautiful reddish patina that cannot be removed through excessive sanding.

Bureau de style Louis XV, restauration
Upon his arrival at the workshop
Bureau de style Louis XV, restauration
Veneer bonding on the sides

So, after completing my repairs and grafts with veneer applied to the correct thickness on the backing, I only had to lightly sand and then apply a clear French polish finish. The bronzes were then cleaned and reinstalled in their original positions.

Bureau de style Louis XV, restauration
After restoration

2 thoughts on “Bureau de style Louis XV”

  1. Good job
    As usual, well done Mathieu. I miss restoration work, but it's so hard to make a living if you don't have beautiful pieces!

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