This lovely Bonheur de Jour, or lady's desk, is French, and was made in about 1860, in the Louis XV style. It is quarter-veneered and cross-banded in kingwood and has fields of inlaid parquetry and floral marquetry. The ormolu mounts have their original gilding and the doors, drawers and sides are decorated with beautifully painted porcelain plaques of bouquets of flowers and birds in naturalistic settings.
It also benefits from a new leather in the style of the original.