There are many superlatives associated with New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is the most-visited museum in the country. Among its many rarefied treasures is a 1759 red-lacquered oak writing table (bureau plat) made by Gilles Joubert for King Louis XV of France. The Met cites it as “one of the finest and most important pieces of French eighteenth-century furniture to be found in America.” Many experts consider it the best furniture piece ever made for Louis XV (1710–1774).
The front detail of the writing table (bureau plat), 1759, by Gilles Joubert. Lacquered oak, gilt-bronze mounts, lined with modern leather; 31 3/4 inches by 69-1/4 inches by 36 inches. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. Public Domain
