This charming ladies’ writing desk is a small Louis XV-style desk "dos d'âne à gradins" (donkey back with a stepped), made during the Napoleon III era, around 1860.
It is veneered in rosewood and embellished with lime and lemon wood marquetry, featuring the floral motifs characteristic of this style, as well as gilded brass details.
A drawer is concealed beneath the writing surface.
This type of piece ingeniously combines the functions of a drop-leaf desk and a dressing table with beveled mirrors.
A refined and graceful piece, embodying all the subtlety of 19th-century French furniture—decorative, practical, and full of charm.