A Louis XV tulipwood, amaranth and satin wood veneered writing table, circa 1750, stamped by Jean-Pierre Latz

Drouot Paris, 1st March 1984;

Private Collection, Switzerland;

Sotheby’s London, Genoese Silver and Furniture From a Private Swiss Collection, 27 May 2009, lot 12 (sold £31,250).

P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe siècle, Paris, 1989, ill. p.488.

Originally from Germany, Jean-Pierre Latz settled in Paris in 1719 as a cabinetmaker. He became a favoured craftsman to the king before 1741 and established his workshop on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine. He specialized in the production of clock cases, Boulle marquetry, and also in floral and kingwood marquetry. His talent and mastery allowed him to supply an international clientele, including Frederick II of Prussia, Augustus III of Poland, Madame Elisabeth, daughter of Louis XV, for her palace in Colorno, Parma, and the Duke of Vendôme.

For a similar writing table with a lower tier, see Christie’s New York, 10 May 1980, lot 181.

Our writing table is decorated with exquisite floral marquetry, a motif also found on other Latz tables, such as a writing table, but without a lower shelf, in the sale of Collection of the Late André Meyer, Christie’s New York, 26 October 2001, lot 15.