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The bureau Mazarin is a 17th-century 
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
desk
A desk or bureau is a piece of furniture with a flat table-style work surface used in a school, office, home or the like for academic, professional or domestic activities such as reading, writing, or using equipment such as a computer. Desks of ...
form named more or less in memory of Cardinal Mazarin
Cardinal Jules Mazarin (, also , , ; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino () or Mazarini, was an Italian cardinal, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Louis XIII and Louis X ...
, who was the Chief minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
of France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
from 1642 to 1661. It is the earliest predecessor of the pedestal desk
A pedestal desk or a ''tanker desk'' is usually a large, flat, free-standing desk made of a simple rectangular working surface resting on two pedestals or small cabinets of stacked drawers of one or two sizes, with plinths around the bases. Of ...
and differs from it by having only two tiers of drawers or three tiers of rather small drawers under the desktop surface, followed by eight legs supporting the whole. Also, the bureau Mazarin has cross braces between the legs, forming two Xs or two Hs on each side.
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
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...
, 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.
As was often the case with many desks of the period, the bureau Mazarin was often used as a dressing table
Dressing commonly refers to:
* Dressing (knot), the process of arranging a knot
* Dressing (medical), a medical covering for a wound, usually made of cloth
* Dressing, putting on clothing
Dressing may also refer to:
Food
* Salad dressing, a typ ...
instead of serving as a desk, or was used for both functions.
As with the Kunstschrank of the lands of the Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
, the desk was sometimes more of a status symbol than a useful piece of furniture.
See also
* List of desk forms and types.References
{{reflistBibliography
*De Reyniès, Nicole. Le Mobilier Domestique: Vocabulaire Typologique. Paris: Ministère de la Culture et de La Communication, 1987. *Payne, Christopher, ed.. Sotheby's Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture. London: Conran Octopus, 1989. *Romand, Didier. L'argus des meubles. Paris: Balland, 1976. Desks History of furniture 17th-century French art