Roll-top desk

This exceptional piece of furniture reveals the clear French
influence during the reign of Dona Maria I (1777-1816). Besides
the marquetry decoration, in which delicate flowers are
combined with geometrical elements, the desk also displays
the complex system of closing and locking, known as the
cylinder or roll top, which was used in France towards the end
of the reign of Louis XV. This model was so greatly appreciated
that the cabinet maker repeated it in another three similar
pieces, in which all that was changed was the decoration.
Engraved in gold on this piece is the inscription – DOMIGOS
TENVTA FES EM LISBOA ESTA OBRA NO ANNO DE 1790 – which
identifies its author, the place and the date of its production.
A highly reputed cabinet maker, Domingos Tenuta concealed
his name on his works almost always in a quite original way.
In this particular case, he hid his name behind the row of false
books, which slides open.