This Louis XVI-style bonheur du jour or lady’s writing desk is decorated with a satinwood geometric mosaic of wooden pieces or parquetry. The door of the centre lockable cabinet is decorated with an elliptical porcelain plaque, depicting a seated male and standing woman in profile. On either side of this centre cabinet is a triple-drawer block. A smaller elliptical plaque separates the two drawers in the lower part of the desk. it depicts a flying putti or winged infant with an arrow. The legs are decorated with ormolu mounts and are tapered.
This bonheur du jour is stamped with, ‘James Winter & Sons, 115, 153, 155 Wardour St, Soho, London.’ The company traded between the years 1823 and c. 1870.
As a piece of furniture the bonheur du jour was first introduced in the 1760s. It became one of the most popular varieties of French 18th-century furniture.