Louis XIV desk - Mazarin, 17th century 26 x 47¼""

This rare Mazarin desk dates from the seventeenth-century. There are four drawers and a small inset cupboard with a key. Made from walnut with a varnished & painted finish.

An extract from Wikipedia: 

A bureau Mazarin is usually a kneehole desk, in that it is meant to be used sideways, with one knee only beneath the work surface. The kneehole desk was designed in an age where only the nobility, or those who followed its customs closely, could afford to have such desks made. Members of the nobility often wore a ceremonial or practical sword, which was forever in the way. It was thus easier to use a desk sideways, with only one knee under it. The rest of the space next to the knee often served as a lockable storage space.