Bureau
manner of André-Charles Boulle the Elder (1642 - 1732)
Category
Furniture
Date
1690 - 1710
Materials
Brass, tortoiseshell, deal construction, ormolu mounts
Measurements
78.2 x 118.8 x 66.5 cm
Place of origin
Paris
Order this imageCollection
Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk
NT 1209799
Summary
A brass inlaid tortoiseshell and brass mounted bureau Mazarin or writing table, in the manner of Andre Charles Boulle, Paris circa 1700 The rectangular top with ormolu edge and inlaid with a central quatrefoil and symmetrical arabesque decoration incorporating scroll and strapwork within a rectangular border. With seven drawers to the kneehole around a cupboard door all decorated with conforming designs and raised on eight square section tapered legs tied by twin shaped X stretchers also inlaid with brass and tortoiseshell. The legs with ormolu caps and bun feet.
Full description
André-Charles Boulle (Paris, 1642 - 1732) was a French ebeniste who is generally considered to be the preeminent artist in the field of marquetry, his fame in marquetry work led to his name being given to the fashion he perfected of inlaying brass and tortoiseshell…. In 1672, Boulle rose from master cabinetmaker to ébéniste du roi, royal cabinetmaker and sculptor to King Louis XIV, That same year, the king granted him the royal privilege of lodging in the Palais du Louvre. This position allowed Boulle to produce furniture as well as works in gilt bronze, such as chandeliers, wall lights, and mounts for furniture. Although strict guild rules usually prevented craftsmen from practicing two professions simultaneously, Boulle's favored position allowed him protected status and exempted him from these statutes. Boulle’s specialty was wood pictorial marquetry, The furniture by André-Charles Boulle was never signed by its creator. As a result, many of the Boulle-marquetry pieces are noted as “attributed to André-Charles Boulle.” Along with creating elaborate motifs in wood, Boulle was ingenious in his use of specialized materials and metals. His technique of intricate tortoiseshell and brass designs, called “Boulle work,” was highly prized. See Jean Nérée Ronfort (ed.), André Charles Boulle, 1642-1732 : Un nouveau style pour l’Europe (ex. cat.), Frankfurt 2009 for Boulle designs and discussion (James Weedon 2017)
Provenance
Part of the Bedingfeld Collection. By descent to Sir Henry Bedingfeld 10th Bt (b.1943) and loaned by him until purchased by the National Trust in 1988.
Makers and roles
manner of André-Charles Boulle the Elder (1642 - 1732), ébéniste
References
Ronfort 2009: Jean Nérée Ronfort (ed.), André Charles Boulle, 1642-1732 : Un nouveau style pour l’Europe (ex. cat.), Frankfurt 2009