Side Drawer for Cabinet

Appointed cabinetmaker to King Louis XIV in 1672, André-Charles Boulle became a master of furniture making in France during the late 1600s until his death in 1732. Known primarily for his use of marquetry, in which metal patterns are inlaid into tortoiseshell then applied within the veneered surface of the furniture, Boulle established a level of quality and craftsmanship few others could achieve. As a result, his work found favor at the royal court and among other aristocrats and diplomats eager to impress the king. The inclusion of a medallion depicting Louis XIV within the bronze decoration of this chest would have identified the owner with the royal court. Often exhibiting stout architectural proportions with elegant groups of inlaid motifs such as the parrot on the central panel of this chest, Boulle’s designs are an example of the intellectual fashion for contrasting ideas, materials, and motifs.

A horizontal drawer front of mottled brown tortoiseshell is framed in gilded metal. At the center, a golden mask with a floral crown sits above a keyhole. Symmetrical, scrolling foliage patterns in yellow and silver-colored metals fan across the dark surface. A gilded border with corner screws secures the decorated facade, which transitions to a simple, dark-wood interior visible from above.

Side Drawer for Cabinet

c. 1690

André-Charles Boulle

(French, 1642–1732)

France, late 17th Century

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