LOUIS XV PERIOD READING TABLE Stamped by Pierre IV Migeon In end wood marquetry on a violet wood base, satinwood interior, chased and gilded bronze ornamentation, top with three flaps, the central one forming a writing desk, back fitted with a retractable screen covered in silk damask, waist opening into a drawer forming a writing desk, chamfered legs, stamped MIGEON under the front crosspiece; veneer lightened by the sun. Dimensions (closed top) : H.73 cm (28 ¾ in.) l.81.5 cm (32 in.) P.42 cm (16 ½ in.) Pierre IV Migeon, received master around 1725 Comparative bibliography : P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe siècle, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 1989, p. 578. S. Mouquin, Pierre IV Migeon, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2001, p. 111. A Louis XV gilt-bronze mounted, kingwood, satinwood and bois de bout marquetry table liseuse, stamped by Pierre IV Migeon *Information for buyers: If you are leaving the EU, you may need to obtain a CITES re-export certificate, which is the responsibility of the future buyer. *Information to the buyers : For an exit from the EU, a CITES re-export certificate will be necessary, at the buyer's expense. This elegant reading table is typical of Pierre IV Migeon's work. The quality of its decoration and the finesse of its many mechanisms not only testify to his skill as a mechanic, but also illustrate the tastes and fantasies of his patrons. In Migeon's body of work, reading tables are often bean-shaped or, as in our example, kidney-shaped, reflecting the cabinetmaker's penchant for delicate curves. and sinuous lines. The simplest models (see S. Moquin, Pierre IV Migeon, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2001, p. 111, Fig. 49) are in plain veneer, while the more sophisticated versions, to which our piece belongs, are distinguished by inlaid decoration and incorporate a retractable screen at the back of the top (see ibid., p. 15, Fig. 2). It should be remembered that a table comparable to ours sold at Hôtel Drouot, Paris, on 17 December 2014, lot 187.