Stunning ebonized Napoleon III writing desk or bonheur du jourCirca 1880Very on trend with lacquered finish and gilt accentsA superb 19th-century French Napoleon III writing desk, richly decorated in ebonised wood with gilt bronze (ormolu) mounts and intricate trellis-pattern inlayThis elegant bonheur-du-jour form features a raised superstructure with two small drawers flanking a central compartment, all surmounted by a pierced gilt galleryThe desk front is beautifully arranged with shaped panels of lattice inlay framed in ormolu, each centred with finely cast gilt bronze mounts including mascarons, ribboned cartouches, and rosettes The writing surface retains its original tooled leather inset, now wonderfully aged to a warm patinated toneBought from a dealer on Marche de Biron at Paris antiques marketsRaised on four turned and fluted legs with gilt accents, the whole piece shows the stylistic refinement typical of Second Empire France: symmetrical, luxuriou...