Louis XVI

King Louis-Auguste reigned in France between 1774 to 1793. The Louis XVI style was a return to classicism looking to Greek and Roman culture for inspiration. Characteristics of this style were architectural ornamentation, classic symmetry, geometric marquetry,decorative escutcheons, small mechanized elements, and the predominant use of mahogany with linear gilt bronze mounts that emphasized veneers. Decorative motifs such as garland swags, horns of plenty, vasiform shapes, olive leaves, and cone finials were common and often referencing historical styles.

Putti

Cherub-like figures used commonly in Italian Baroque painting and design. Putti are often depicted as nude infant boys, sometimes with wings. Though similar to cherubs, they are not interchangeable, putti being a more secular version of the biblical cherubim.

Bureau

A desk popular in late 17th-century England and France distinguished by its sloping fall-front. Derived from the French word bureau or office, the original form, the bureau plat, was a flat covered table with drawers below the top. The flap is hinged at the base and rests on lopers when open, folding up at an angle when closed. Over time, the bureau as a form evolved into a kneehole desk with sets of drawers on each side and a single center drawer. Many renditions of the bureau were used in combination with bookcases or highboys. In America, the term bureau is also used to describe a bedroom chest-of-drawers.