Relevant categories: Desks
Just like other pieces of furniture, the people of historical France saw the need for writing tables. A single one of these was referred to as a bureau plat. Today, people who a appreciate art are looking to buy an antique bureau plat or two. In its heyday, a bureau plat was designed to have several drawers just under the table surface. The writing implements would be kept in these drawers until the next time one would need to use them. In short, a bureau plat was nothing other than a writing desk.
It is not uncommon for an antique bureau plat to feature an inkwell and blotter on the surface. Also, you are likely to find a powder or sand tray in any of the drawers. The surface of an antique bureau plat is most likely covered with materials that could work well with a fountain pen or quill, usually leather. The bureau plat looked more like a pedestal desk but having legs in place of pedestals. Don’t be surprised to hear these bureau plats being referred to as leg desks. Most of the antique bureau plats on the market today are made in styles such as Art Nouveau or Louis XVI.
It will be wrong to state that the bureau plat is distinctively used for writing. You are likely to find these pieces of furniture in the home library, where it serves both as a reading and writing table. Every gentleman worth his salt had a library where he kept his literature and did most of his business transactions. In addition to the bureau plat, you would find a rent table and drawing table in the library. So it was not uncommon for the bureau plat to also be called the library table.
How Would An Antique Bureau Plat Be Made?
It took the work of a master craftsman to make a bureau table. For that reason, most antique bureau plat tables feature ormolu artistry with intricate floral decorations. The artists used exotic veneers such as purpleheart, burr walnut, satinwood, rosewood, and Kingwood. They never spared time to come up with the highest levels of details. An antique bureau plat will have its border decorated with ormolu for additional elegance and protection. Some of these tables may have a number of crystals such as mica used to decorate the surface. The legs could also be tapered in shiny ormolu pieces to give the bureau plat a strikingly unique look.
Can You Find An Antique Bureau Plat In Good Condition?
It could be surprising but most antique bureau plats on the market today are still in perfect condition. That’s all thanks to the quality craftsmanship with which these writing tables were made. In addition to that, these furniture pieces were given the best kind of polishing to keep them well preserved over the centuries. Before you buy an antique bureau plat, make sure it perfectly fits in the space you intend to use it. But you also need to get an accompanying antique chair. You may find all of these at the same auction you are buying your antique bureau plat.
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