For all their talent, ingenuity and technique, the Flemish Masters didn't earn the reputation they hold to this day on skill alone. In fact, their artistic influence is due in large part to a limited number of wealthy patrons who popularized and often directed their work. More than just backers, patrons were true enthusiasts and advocates for the arts. Often, they valued their financial support of the artists they loved as high, or even higher, as their own basic needs. Our Patrons Desk is crafted to support such lofty endeavors, complete with double banded balusters set atop an elevated block style pediment. The overscaled work surface is both wide and deep to accommodate a central check drawer. The structural support beam is both artistic and substantial enough to double as a footrest. And the entire piece is carefully joined, honed, sanded and polished to bring out the grain of the native Dutch white cedar