Master's secretary
 Precious wood and gilded bronze marquetry
 Nineteenth
 Around 1880
 Good condition
 H. 39.7 - L.31.5 - P.14.5 cm

 Lovely miniature secretary in Louis XV style with flap said master's degree in precious wood marquetry and finely chiseled gilt bronze. In the upper part, the secretary has a large drawer under the top and the flap opens onto two storage compartments and 4 drawers. In the lower part, the secretary opens with two leaves. The inlay on the flap represents one of the fables of Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695):
 "The Fox and the Stork"
 Compère le Renard one day got cold,
 and withheld dinner, Gossip la Cigogne.
 The treat was small and without much preparation:
 The gallant for any job,
 Had a clear brew; he lived scantily.
 This broth was served by him on a plate:
 The Stork with the long beak could not catch a crumb;
 And the funny guy had lapped it all in a moment.
 To take revenge for this deception,
 Some time later, the Stork begs him.
 "Gladly," he said to her, "because with my friends
 I am not making a ceremony. "
 At the appointed time, he ran home
 From the Stork his hostess;
 Very much praised politeness;
 Found the dinner cooked to perfection:
 Good appetite above all; Foxes are not lacking.
 He rejoiced at the smell of meat
 Cut into small pieces, and which he believed to be fond.
 They served, to embarrass him,
 In a vase with a long neck and a narrow mouth.
 The beak of the Stork could well pass there;
 But the sire's muzzle was of another measure.
 He had to return home on an empty stomach,
 Ashamed as a fox that a hen would have taken,
 Squeezing the tail, and wearing low the ear.
 Deceivers, it is for you that I am writing:
 Expect the same.
 (Fables, by Jean de la Fontaine - 17th century)