Writing table veneered in boulle marquetry of turtleshell and brass, on a carcase of oak and walnut, with lacquered-brass mounts

Writing-desk formed as a cupboard standing on four cabriole legs. The case is of oak with walnut stiles and doors. It is divided into three compartments by two vertical partitions, each compartment has its own door and each is fitted with a single walnut shelf. The central compartment is set back slightly from the two outer compartments, to form a kneehole desk.

The front, sides and top of the desk are veneered with boulle marquetry of turtleshell and engraved brass, depicting turquerie scenes. The panels of marquetry on the doors and sides are each enclosed in a brass frame, these frames with a rosette at each of their corners. The stepped-back sides of the case, between the two outer and the central compartment, are veneered with ebony and brass stringing. Walnut veneers surround the panels of marquetry on the sides and doors. The feet stand in cloven hoof mounts, of lacquered brass.

Bequeathed by John Jones

The desk was bequeathed to the V&A in 1882 as part of the John Jones collection. Jones made his fortune as a military tailor, kitting out the armies of the British Empire. He was also an avid collector of French furniture and porcelain, particularly of items made between about 1660 and 1800.

With its undecorated back, this writing desk was intended to be positioned against the wall. It would probably have furnished a small, personal room known as a cabinet. In 18th-century France, an elaborate desk or writing table such as this would have been intended to indicate a person's education and wealth.

The desk is decorated on its front, sides and top using a technique known as boulle marquetry. This technique was named after André-Charles Boulle, who was cabinet-maker to King Louis XIV. Boulle marquetry involves cutting designs out from a stack of materials: turtleshell is sandwiched with brass and/or pewter then cut using a thin-bladed fretsaw. Once the stack has been cut, two or three configurations of the same design are available, depending on the number of materials used. The marquetry on this desk, in which metal is inlaid into a turtleshell ground, is known as première-partie. Première-partie marquetry was more expensive and more highly-valued in 18th-century France than its offshoot contre-partie, in which the the turtleshell was inlaid into a metal ground.

On this desk, boulle marquetry has been used to depict a series of fanciful scenes and figures which appear to be of Turkish inspiration. This decoration is part of a European fashion, from the 16th to 18th centuries, for imitating aspects of Turkish art and culture. The desk reflects contemporary interest in the Middle East, and may have been directly inspired by the visit of the Turkish embassy to Versailles in 1715.

Desks are now often considered as utilitarian items of furniture. During the 18th century they were frequently the focus of elaborate decoration and might be designed as part of a set of luxurious furniture for the small, personal rooms known as cabinets in France. A fine desk or writing table indicated that a person was not only rich and powerful but also well educated and interested in intellectual matters.

This small desk is veneered all over with a complex design of tiny figures, animals and arabesques in brass set against a turtleshell ground. This technique of veneering is known as boulle marquetry, named after André-Charles Boulle, who was cabinetmaker to Louis XIV of France. The detail is engraved into the brass, and the engraved lines are filled with black mastic.

1014:1, 2-1882