A walnut feather desk from the Veneto, Padua area, dating 19th century.

A walnut feather desk from the Veneto, Padua area, dating from the first two decades of the 19th century.

The piece of furniture consists of three drawers in a line and underneath a pair of superimposed drawers bordered by four half-columns with chiselled bronze capitals. The whole rests on square-section pillar supports.

The Empire period desk is a piece of furniture of great charm and historical value. The walnut feather, with its rich, undulating grain, was often plated on solid wood structures to create elegant and luminous surfaces. It is distinguished by its sober but monumental lines, the use of columns, gilded bronzes and classical motifs inspired by Greco-Roman antiquity.

The Empire style originated in France, specifically in Paris. Its golden age was between 1804 and 1815. The first date corresponds to Napoleon's coronation, which he imposed on the Church; the second coincides with the fall of his reign. The birth of the Empire style, it is now clear, is closely linked to the figure of Napoleon