La Dogana da Mar, the historic customs house at the meeting point of Venice’s Grand and Giudecca Canals, stands as a symbol of the city’s legacy in trade, commerce, and maritime power. Its distinctive architecture and evocative location have long inspired artists and photographers, making it an apt subject for a one-off LINLEY commission: the La Dogana Desk.

Crafted in walnut with burr walnut and Macassar ebony inlays, the desk replicates the Dogana building as its central gallery. Each end is marked by the building’s signature square towers, modelled after Giuseppe Benoni’s 17th-century design. These towers are crowned with gilded ormolu globes held by Atlas figures, sculpted in verdigris. Atop each globe stands Fortuna, Goddess of Abundance, also cast in verdigris and designed to rotate, recalling the original function of the sculpture as a weather vane and navigational beacon for incoming ships.

Hidden within each tower are secret drawers, revealed by pressing a discreet gas-spring mechanism beneath the desk. When opened, the compartments display marquetry panels featuring Venetian Carnival masks, introducing a playful, theatrical detail in the tradition of surprise and discovery.

Adorning the desk are plaques of lapis lazuli, their deep blue hue echoing the waters of the Venetian lagoon. Each stone is framed in satinwood, offering a striking contrast in colour and texture. In 2007, the desk was exhibited as a Contemporary Masterpiece at the Wallace Collection in London before being acquired by a private collector.