LOUIS XVI PERIOD MECHANICAL READING TABLE Stamped by Joseph Gengenbach, known as Canabas In mahogany, the top revealing an adjustable-height desk operated by a gilt brass rack-and-pinion mechanism, the scrolled legs ending in wooden castors, stamped JCANABA(...) and JME hallmark under the right-hand crosspiece. Dimensions (lectern open): H. 96 cm (77 in.) l. 85 cm (33 ½ in.) P. 28 cm (11 in.) Joseph Gengenbach dit Canabas, master in 1766 A Louis XVI gilt-brass mounted and mahogany mechanical table liseuse, stamped by Joseph Gengenbach, called Canabas This rare table is representative of the best work by Canabas (1712-1797), which combines the quality of the mahogany leaves, the originality of the composition and the ingenuity of the mechanism. This table was designed according to the "English taste" that spread in the 1770s, under the impetus of collectors with modern and innovative tastes, such as the Marquis de Marigny. In fact, the inspiration for the desk-forming rack on our example can be traced back to mid-eighteenth-century production on the other side of the Channel.