A bonheur du jour (in French, ''bonheur-du-jour'', meaning "daytime delight") is a type of lady's

writing desk Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically inscribed, mechanically transferred, or digitally represented symbols. Writing systems do not themselves constitute h ...

. It was introduced in Paris by one of the interior decorators and purveyors of fashionable novelties called '' marchands-merciers'' about 1760, and speedily became intensely fashionable. The bonheur du jour is always very light and graceful, with a decorated back, since it often did not stand against the wall (''meuble meublant'') but was moved about the room (''meuble volant''); its special characteristic is a raised back, which may form a little

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

or a nest of drawers, or open shelves, which might be closed with a

tambour In classical architecture, a tambour ( Fr.: "drum") is the inverted bell of the Corinthian capital around which are carved acanthus leaves for decoration. The term also applies to the wall of a circular structure, whether on the ground or raised ...

, or may simply be fitted with a mirror. The top, often surrounded with a chased and gilded bronze gallery, serves for placing small ornaments. Beneath the writing surface there is usually a single drawer, often neatly fitted for toiletries or writing supplies. Early examples were raised on slender cabriole legs; under the influence of

neoclassicism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism was ...

, examples made after about 1775 had straight, tapering legs. The ''marchand-mercier'' Simon-Philippe Poirier had the idea of mounting bonheurs du jour with specially-made plaques of

Sèvres porcelain Sèvres (, ) is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a population of 23,251 as of 2018, is known for it ...

that he commissioned and for which he had a monopoly; the earliest Sèvres-mounted bonheurs du jour are datable from the marks under their plaques to 1766-67 (''illus.''). Other choice examples of the time are inlaid with

marquetry Marquetry (also spelled as marqueterie; from the French ''marqueter'', to variegate) is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures. The technique may be applied to case furn ...

or panels of Oriental

lacquer Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity. Asian lacquerware, which may be ca ...

, banded with exotic woods, with gilt-bronze mounts. By the mid-1770s the bonheur du jour was being made in London, where it was simply called a "lady's writing-desk". The desk was usually kept in the lady's bedroom where it would serve for breakfast as well as for writing letters during the day. Letter writing was one of the favorite pastimes of ladies of high birth.

Gallery

File:Camondo_ bonheur-du-jour.JPG, Bonheur du jour mounted with Sevres plaques, stamped by

Martin Carlin Martin Carlin (c. 1730–1785) was a Parisian ''ébéniste'' ( cabinet-maker), born at Freiburg, who was received as Master ''Ébéniste'' at Paris on 30 July 1766. Renowned for his "graceful furniture mounted with Sèvres porcelain", Carlin fed in ...

, commissioned by Poirier, the plaques dated 1766 (Musée Nissim de Camondo, Paris) File:Small writing desk (bonheur-du-jour) MET DP105398.jpg, Small writing desk (bonheur-du-jour) by Martin Carlin at the Met Museum, dated to 1768 File:Small writing desk (bonheur-du-jour) MET DP105397.jpg, Small writing desk (bonheur-du-jour) by Martin Carlin at the Met Museum, drawers open, circa 1774 File:Desk (bonheur du jour) MET 147821.jpg, Desk (bonheur du jour) by Roger Vandercruse, called Lacroix, circa 1780–90 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Notes

External links

{{commons category, Bonheur-du-jour
Photographs of a bonheur du jour with secret drawers
Desks