This mechanical table displays a military allegory on the lid, most likely linked to the inauguration of the Military School which took place around the time when it was commissioned. The multifunctional nature of this furniture, in this case a desk, a reading table and a dressing table, made it extremely popular with a clientele craving novelty and sophistication, for whom such pieces were intended.

Jean-François Oeben moved from Germany to Paris and settled in Faubourg Saint-Antoine. Despite dying at a young age, Oeben became one of the most famous ébénistes of the era. Not only did he produce excellent marquetry, but he also created complicated mechanisms for his furniture using his knowledge of metalworking and was appointed ‘ébéniste’/mechanic to the king’ in 1760.

Oeben was the creator of the famous roll-top desk (bureau du roi), the first of which was commissioned by Louis XV for his chambers at Versailles.