This is a large wooden writing desk given to Joseph Needham by his colleagues in the Natural Sciences Division of UNESCO in Paris in 1948. The table was formerly part of the furniture of the German Naval High Command. The surface is mostly covered by leather with classic ornamental patterns. At each corner is an embossed anchor, indicating that it had belonged to the Höheres Kommando der Marinedienststellen in Groß-Paris (Supreme Command for Naval Services in the Greater Paris Area), which had offices in the building. The front side of the desk has three drawers, in which were found sundry items belonging to Joseph Needham. The table has a brass plaque attached to the surface with a dedication and signatures of the Division members, as follows:
Centre dedication:
Joseph Needham FRS
Head of Natural Sciences Section of UNESCO, April 1946 – April 1948
FROM HIS TEAM, PARIS 1948

Left to right
Column 1
Obden Balchin UK
M.M. Desrez FR
Isadora Ephrussi FR
Joyce V. Fairweather UK
Evelyn Fawson UK
Angela Gotlieb UK
Marthe Gonce FR

Column 2
I.R. Dudeney UK
A. Establier SP
L.G. Grimmett UK
Frank J. Malina USA
Børge Michelsen DEN
Jean A. Mussard SWI
J. Pelseneer BEL

Centre left column
Joseph B. Reid CAN
S. N. Dasgupta IND
Samar [?] Sen IND

Top to bottom between screws
汪敬熙

Centre right column
Eleen Sam CH
R. Naidu IND
Ирина Жукова USSR

Top to bottom between screws
魯桂珍

Right column left
W.E. Purnell AUSTRAL
Armando Cortesao PORT
Marcel Destombes FR
E.J.H. Corner UK
B. Malamos GR
L. Thuriaux BEL
Karl Borch NOR

Right column
Jan Smid CZECH
Alexander Wolsky HUN
Ingar Hermann DEN
Yvonne Playbacht UK
Nina Nekrassoff UK
Sylvia Stroh UK
G. Williams FR.