Bureau de Roi
The centrepiece of the Hillman collection, experts consider the Bureau Du Roi the finest piece of miniature furniture in the world. The original was one of the earliest cylindrical desks in France, and the first to be made on such a grand scale. It stands as one of the outstanding reminders of the lavishness of the French court. Nearly five years in the making, Hillman’s version is painstakingly exact and fully mechanical.
The Bureau features marquetry panels composed of more than 16,000 individual pieces of intricately laid fruitwoods, which represent the King’s interest in art, music, poetry, astronomy and mathematics. The ormolu mounts are solid gold and attached by hundreds of handmade miniature gold screws.
Remarkably, turning the key will automatically roll the top back and simultaneously unlock all the drawers.
