Small sets of standing corner shelves, known as encoignures à jours (‘open corner shelves’), had first been made in Paris in the 1750s but did not become popular until the late 1770s. In the 1750s most sets that are recorded in bills or inventories were painted or lacquered, but this set is made of mahogany, both solid and veneered. It is very close in form to a set stamped by the maker Denis Louis Ancellet and may also have been made by him. He often worked with the more famous Parisian cabinetmaker Adam Weisweiler, probably making items for him as a subcontractor. A few pieces survive that carry the stamps of both men.