{"id":5354,"date":"2021-12-09T12:46:06","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T11:46:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr\/?p=5354"},"modified":"2021-12-09T12:46:09","modified_gmt":"2021-12-09T11:46:09","slug":"bureau-a-huit-pieds-dit-mazarin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr\/en\/2021\/12\/09\/bureau-a-huit-pieds-dit-mazarin\/","title":{"rendered":"Eight-foot desk known as the "Mazarin" desk\u00ab"},"content":{"rendered":"

Extensive restoration work has been undertaken on this Mazarin desk, veneered in violet wood and rosewood. It is entirely veneered on fir with a solid rosewood base. The top features a marquetry of rosewood stars surrounded by violet wood butterfly wings in circular patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Eb\u00e9nisterie
Before restoration<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why the name "Mazarin"?<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The eight-legged desk is one of the jewels of 17th-century furniture. It only acquired the name "Mazarin" from antique dealers in the 19th century to lend it greater prestige, as it actually appeared only around 1670, well after the cardinal's death in 1661. The oldest example we can precisely date to 1669 was made by Pierre Gole (1620-1684), a cabinetmaker of Dutch origin who became cabinetmaker to the King and whose work was characterized by the application of exotic veneers of ebony, tortoiseshell, and ivory. It generally consists of two side sections, each with three drawers, supported by four legs joined by X- or H-shaped stretchers. The central section is surmounted by a seventh drawer, placed above a small opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn't strictly function as a desk; it's more often used as a table, hence the mention in the archives of an 8-legged desk-table. But in reality, this piece of furniture primarily served a ceremonial purpose, intended to display one's social standing and erudition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you know? The word "bureau" (office) comes from "bure," a coarse brown woolen cloth used to cover writing tables to protect them from ink stains. Bure was also used to make monks' robes. A bureau is the table used for writing, and by extension, the word has come to designate the room in which this piece of furniture is located, generally dedicated to intellectual work.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

State of affairs report<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When it arrived at the workshop, it was in rather poor condition. None of the legs were stable, a stretcher was broken into several pieces, the tabletop was coming unglued, and a slatted edge had detached. Almost all the veneer was peeling off, and to top it all off, the entire piece of furniture was riddled with woodworm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n