Cannage Louis XVI Dressing Table in Antique Ivory

An oval mirror rises from a crest of carved ribbon and blossom, flanked by two sweeping wing panels of hand-woven cane whose warm honey tone plays against the ivory frame. Beneath it the serpentine top curves inward at the centre to draw the seat close, while a finely fluted frieze runs the width of the apron and stops at carved corner blocks. Slender cabriole legs, beaded along their full length and tied by a shaped stretcher, lift the piece with the lightness the Louis XVI vocabulary is known for. The hand-applied lacquer is softly rubbed back, letting a silvered grey settle into every hollow of the carving.

The frame is carved by hand before any colour is laid on, and the cane panels are woven and stretched by hand so the weave stays taut and even across the wings. Layers of ivory lacquer are then applied, distressed and waxed until the finish reads as gently aged rather than newly painted. Handcrafted by Brass & Wood in Egypt, it belongs against a panelled bedroom wall or in a dressing room, where the mirror can borrow daylight and the caned wings keep the whole silhouette airy.