Dh47m royal bureau for sale

If you are an avid collector of antiques then this Dh47 million bureau à gradin, made in 1786 for the Russian royalty, is a must-have.

The bureau is made of ormolu – finely ground, high carat gold applied to an object in bronze – and brass-mounted mahogany.

It was built by the famous 18th century German cabinetmaker David Roentgen.

Roentgen was renowned throughout Europe for his marquetry and his secret drawers and mechanical fittings. His work embraced the late rococo and the neo-classical styles.

It is believed that this desk was commissioned by the Russian Empress Catherine the Great.

Patrick Gallagher, founder of Decoratives and Design in New York, told Emirates Business: "It is a stunning example of the late 18th Century artistry and craftsmanship, most likely commissioned by Catherine the Great.

"The desk dating from around 1786 forms part of the neo-classical production of the Roentgen workshop, unsurpassed in the quality of its design and workmanship."

The large rectangular mahogany top, rimmed by a plain gilt bronze band, rests on 12 tapering fluted mahogany and brass Doric columns linked by a U-shaped solid wood stepped base.

The bases and capitals of each column are with gilt bronze moulds chiselled with thin gadroons.

The apron opens with three drawers and is applied with circular gilt bronze medallions chiselled with masks figuring alternatively the Mercury, the moon and the sun and with lozenge medallions chiselled with stiff leaves.

The top is bordered with a mahogany and gilt bronze baluster shape gallery surmounted by six gilt bronze urns, the covers of which when upside down form sockets for candles. At the back of the top is a stepped terrace with a cabinet in the middle.

The cabinet is topped by a mahogany and gilt bronze baluster shape gallery surmounted by small gilt bronze vases, two by two in the corners. It is flanked on the amboynas façade by two Ionic gilt bronze columns, applied in the centre with Ionic fluted pilasters and arches, and with ranks of gilt bronze beads forming rectangles and with fine relieves. The central relief figures three cherubs seated on clouds with a large radiating sun at the back. One putto is holding a laurel wreath, the central one is grasping a cithara and is thought to represent Apollo as a baby and the third has a branch of laurel. Each side relief represents a putto enveloped in foliage garlands and seated on a vase. The top rail with a keyhole is applied with a pierced frieze of foliage scrolls, eagles and arrows and also decorated with an indented frieze and ranks of eggs and darts.

Turning the key of the top rail opens the front of the cabinet which goes down and disappears in the lower part of the desk to reveal six cases.

Pressing a central button at the bottom of the cabinet makes the front go up by a system of spring and close the cabinet.

Pressing the side buttons inset in the inside bottom of the cabinet reveals by the same spring system a drawer in the small steps on both sides of the cabinet.

The 130 cm high and 166 cm long bureau was sold by private treaty by the Soviet government in the 1930s and can be bought from Kugel Antiquaires of Paris.

Gallagher added: "This piece is so expensive because it combines all of the elements of an outstanding work of decorative art, great art of historical importance, technical sophistication, tremendous visual appeal and excellent condition.

"It is truly a statement piece befitting a person who appreciates the finest quality."

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