In 1685, the master cabinetmaker Alexandre-Jean Oppenordt received a commission from Louis XIV for 2 desks for his small rooms, which were situated behind the Hall of Mirrors. The desks were sumptuously finished with première partie marquetry, brass plaques, red tortoiseshell, and monograms of the King’s ciphers. One of these magnificent desks now stands on show at The Met, whilst the other, after passing through various fabulous hands in Europe, was repatriated back to France, being having been classified as a National Treasure. After a long and careful restoration, the desk today proudly stands in the Salon de l’Abondance, back home in Versailles. Photograph by Christophe Fouin #chateaudeversailles #versailles #palaceofversailles #salondelabondance #france #louisxiv #alexandrejeanoppenordt #cabinetmaker #17thcentury #royalapartments #decorativearts #frenchdecorativearts #frenchdecorativeantiques #antiquefurniture #ancienregime #frenchbaroque #portraits #painting #writingdesk #interiors #decor #decoration #marquetry #tortoishell #pearl #sculpture #interiordecor #interiordecorating #interiordecoration #interiordecorator (at Château de Versailles) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp0MjqVITsV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=