Frédéric Mitterrand, Minister of Culture and Communication, announces the acquisition by the State, for the Palace of Versailles, of the Office of Queen Marie-Antoinette, work of Jean-Henri Riesener.

With an absolute perfection in its execution, the office strikes with elegance
its proportions, the refinement of its precious wood veneer and, more
yet, the dazzling quality of its gilded bronze decoration in antique or
floral motifs, so revealing of the Queen’s taste. It was delivered to the Garde-Meuble
of the Queen for the domain of Trianon. The letters CT (castle of Trianon)
under a royal crown indicate that it was destined for the Petit Trianon, so
private residence of the Queen, and more particularly to one of the rooms of the
House of the Queen in the Hamlet.

Masterpiece by master cabinetmaker Jean-Henri Riesener (1734–1806), the favourite
of Marie-Antoinette, this office had disappeared from the royal collections since the
French Revolution. Tapered feet with octagonal section, low reliefs of
are characteristic of the works of the great cabinetmaker as the
chest of drawers in the library of Louis XVI.

Unable to be relocated to the Hamlet, Marie-Antoinette’s office will be
presented in the Queen’s Golden Cabinet. This acquisition represents a
major enrichment of the collections of the Palace of Versailles which continues
Thus its policy of remembrances undertaken since the last war.

This acquisition was made possible by the tax provisions of the law
August 1, 2003 on corporate philanthropy, associations and foundations. These
provisions, which supplement those of the Law of 4 January 2002 on
museums in France, create favourable conditions for entry into
public collections, thanks to corporate patronage, of recognized works
of major heritage interest by the Treasury Advisory Board
Minister of Culture and Communication would like to thank
LVMH Moët-Hennessy Group - Louis Vuitton and Sanofi-Aventis
for their exemplary sponsorship of the Palace of Versailles and
more broadly of the national heritage.