This splendid desk was made in 1698 by the Dutch furniture maker Michiel Verbist, whose name appears painted on the flap.
However, the spectacular production technique based on highly refined marquetry work in tortoiseshell and metal was invented by one of the most famous furniture makers of the 17th century, the Frenchman André-Charles Boulle, Ebéniste du Roy at the court of Louis XIV.
In fact, he was responsible for some of the most lavish furniture made for the Sun King. In this distinctive form, the desk seems to be a variation on the writing table, in use as early as the 16th century, according to Boulle's own magnificent reworking of it in the so-called “bureau Mazarin”, characterised by the presence of side wings and drawers in the lower part, while the upper part with the central door and rows of small drawers echoes the design of a cabinet.
La tecnica Boulle consiste in un particolare tipo di decorazione in tartaruga e metallo, che poteva essere ottone, o come in questo caso peltro. Il motivo decorativo a volute vegetali stilizzate, era ricavato ritagliando un foglio di tartaruga e una sottile lastra di metallo uniti insieme. Si ottenevano così due negativi e due positivi: un fondo in tartaruga con decori in metallo e un fondo in metallo con decori in tartaruga.
