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André-Charles Boulle

André-Charles Boulle (11 November 1642 – 29 February 1732),[1] le joailler du meuble (the "furniture jeweller"),[2] became the most famous French cabinetmaker and the preeminent artist in the field of marquetry,[3][4] also known as "inlay".[5] Boulle was "the most remarkable of all French cabinetmakers".[6] Jean-Baptiste Colbert (29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) recommended him to Louis XIV of France, the "Sun King" (r. 1643–1715), as "the most skilled craftsman in his profession".[citation needed] Over the centuries since his death, his name and that of his family has become associated with the art he perfected, the inlay of tortoiseshell, brass and pewter into ebony. It has become known as Boulle work,[7] and the École Boulle (founded in 1886), a college of fine arts and crafts and applied arts in Paris, continues today to bear testimony to his enduring art, the art of inlay.

Commode by André-Charles Boulle, son of Jean Boulle: (c. 1710–20). Walnut veneered with ebony, marquetry of engraved brass and tortoiseshell, gilt-bronze mounts, verd antique marble
Commode by André-Charles Boulle - Detail

Life

in 1677, on his marriage certificate, André-Charles Boulle gave his birth date, for posterity, as being 11 November 1642. No other document corroborates this birth in Paris. The historians M. Charles Read, H.-L. Lacordaire and Paulin Richard have determined[8] that his father was the Protestant Jan (or Jean/Johann) Bolt (or Bolte/Boul/ Bolle[9])[10] but at his own (Catholic) marriage, André-Charles Boulle named his father as "Jean Boulle". André-Charles Boulle's marriage at Saint Sulpice and burial in 1732 at Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois[11] are but two of many lifetime inconsistencies with his Protestant 'provenance', most easily explained by the ongoing persecution of Protestants. His parentage with the Protestant Boulles from Marseille, the Sun King's Historian[12] needs clarification and Coliès, in his Bibliothèque Choisies confirms a Marseillais relative as being the author of a History of Protestantism, called Essay de l'histoire des Protestants Distingués Par Nation (1646).

 
 Jean-Baptiste Lully c. 1670
 
Commode by André-Charles Boulle, son of Jean Boulle - Detail

In the absence of a birth document, three factors play a critical part in the mystery surrounding Boulle's parentage.

The first is that foreign artists flocking to the Sun King's Court were keen to be naturalised French subjects to 'fit in' and would, like Jean-Baptiste Lully the Royal Musician (28 November 1632 – 22 March 1687), have changed their names. For Lully, it was from "Giovanni Battista Lulli" to "Jean-Baptiste Lully") but at his marriage, he falsely declared his father's name to be Laurent de Lully, gentilhomme Florentin [Florentine gentleman]".[13] This historical background makes it difficult for the historian to identify which of the many Jean Boulles, Jean Bolles,[9] Johann Bolts or even 'Jean Boulds' on record was André-Charles Boulle's true father. Some of these are of Catholic French origin, some are French Protestants and some are from Gelderland in Holland.[10]

 
J. Paul Getty Museum: Wall Clock; Attributed to André-Charles Boulle (French, 1642 - 1732, master before 1666); Paris, France; about 1710; Gilt bronze; blue-painted horn; enameled metal.

The second factor is that André-Charles Boulle's birth date is almost certainly inacurrate. Despite his genius (or perhaps because of it) André-Charles Boulle was a demonstrably poor administrator and poor with dates and specifically in respect of his age. His children were no different, declaring him to be 90 Years old when he died. This is highly unlikely.[14]

 
Clock with pedestal by André-Charles Boulle - Detail

The third and perhaps most telling factor adding to the overall confusion about Boulle's parentage was that in October 1685 (a mere 8 years after his marriage), Louis XIV renounced the Edict of Nantes and declared Protestantism illegal with the Edict of Fontainebleau. All Protestant ministers were given two weeks to leave the country unless they converted to Catholicism. Louis XIV ordered the destruction of Huguenot churches, as well as the closure of Protestant schools. This made official the persecution of Protestants already enforced since 1681 and it led to around 400,000 fleeing the country.[15][16]

Jean-Baptiste Lully demonstrates, by his documented actions, that marriage was a propitious time to tidy up provenance. Within the context of the times, it is natural to expect that as well as ensuring his father's Catholic name was recorded for posterity, André-Charles Boulle 'tidied' up his own place and date of birth. This made him older, for motives we do not yet comprehend.[17] There is also the definite possibility, as yet unexplored by historians, that André-Charles Boulle was born in Holland. It would explain a lot of the confusion around his parentage. The salient fact is that we only have André-Charles Boulle's word that he was born in Paris in 1642.

 
Cabinet - Oak veneered with Macassar and Gabon ebony, ebonized fruitwood, burl wood, and marquetry of tortoiseshell and brass; gilt bronze

André-Charles Boulle's Protestant family environment was a rich and artistic milieu totally consistent with the genius of the Art he was to produce in later years. His father, Jean Boulle (ca 1616-?),[18] was cabinetmaker to the King, had been naturalised French in 1676 and lived in the Louvre, by Royal Decree. His grandfather, Pierre Boulle (ca 1595-1649),[18] was naturalised French in 1675, had been cabinetmaker to Louis XIII and had also lived in the Louvre. André-Charles was thus exposed to two generations of illustrious artists, master craftsmen, engravers, cabinetmakers and, indeed, family all directly contracted by the King. As pointed out by the historians M. De Montaiglon and Charles Asselineau, this entourage included his aunt Marguerite Bahusche (on his mother's side) who was a famous painter in her own right, married to another very famous artist, Jacques Bunel de Blois, Henri IV's favourite painter.[19] Others who were appointed by the King and worked with the two preceding generations of Boulles from their ateliers in the Louvre included the painter Louis Du Guernier (1614-1659),[20] the embroiderers Nicolas Boulle and Caillard and the goldsmith Pierre de la Barre.[21]

 
Boulle work on Boulle Clock - Detail

There is virtually nothing on André-Charles Boulle's youth, upbringing or training apart from a solitary Notarial Act dated 19 July 1666 (when he was supposedly 24 years old) agreeing a 5-year apprentice's contract for a 17-year-old nephew, François Delaleau, Master Carpenter from L'Abbaye des Celestins de Marcoussis in Paris.[22] André-Charles Boulle's own apprenticeship was therefore most likely to have occurred within the focused confines of his father's atelier at the Louvre. Here, in any event, he was closest to the Sun King. and to Jean-Baptiste Colbert who discovered him.[23]

 
Andre-Charles Boulle (1642-1732) Casemaker (Attributed to) Ebony, Tortoiseshell, and Brass Barometer Mantel Clock, 1690 ebony, tortoiseshell, and brass on walnut and oak 42 1/4 in. x 23 1/8 in. x 10 1/4 in. (107.32 cm x 58.67 cm x 26.04 cm) Bequest of Winthrop Kellogg Edey, 1999.

In 1672, by the age of 30, Boulle had already been granted lodgings in the galleries of the Louvre which Louis XIV had set apart for the use of the most favoured among the artists employed by the Crown. To be admitted to these galleries signified a mark of special Royal favour and also freed him from the restrictions imposed by the trade guilds. Boulle received the deceased Jean Macé's lodgings on the recommendation of the Minister of Arts, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who described Boulle as le plus habile ébéniste de Paris. The Royal Decree conferring this privilege describes Boulle variously as a chaser, gilder and maker of marquetry.[24] Boulle received the post of Premier ébéniste du Roi.[25]

 
The J. Paul Getty Museum. Cabinet on Stand; Attributed to André-Charles Boulle (French, 1642 - 1732, master before 1666), and medallions after Jean Varin (French, 1596 - 1672); Paris, France; about 1675 - 1680; Oak veneered with pewter, brass, tortoise shell, horn, ebony, ivory, and wood marquetry; bronze mounts; figures of painted and gilded oak; with drawers of snakewood

Boulle initially had aspirations to be a painter but according to one of his close friends, Pierre-Jean Mariette (7 May 1694 – 10 September 1774), he was forced by his cabinetmaker father, Jean Boulle, to develop other skills. This may explain a sense of 'missed vocation' and resultant 'passion' and utter dedication to the collection of prints and paintings, which nearly ruined him...[26]

The first payment on record to him by the crown (1669) specifies ouvrages de peinture and Boulle was employed for years on end at the Versailles, where the mirrored walls, floors of wood mosaic, inlaid paneling and marquetry in the Cabinet du Dauphin (1682–1686) came to be regarded by such as Jean-Aimar Piganiol de La Force ( 21 September 1669 - 10 January 1753 )[27] as his most remarkable work. The rooms were dismantled in the Late 18th century and their unfashionable art broken up.[24] More recently, a partial inventory of the Grand Dauphin's decorations at the Palace of Versailles has come to light at the National Archives in Paris.[28]

Boulle carried out numerous royal commissions for the "Sun King", as can be seen from the records of the Bâtiments du Roi and correspondence of the marquis de Louvois. Foreign Princes, French Nobility, government ministers and French financiers flocked to him offering him work, and the famous words of the abbé de Marolles, Boulle y tourne en ovale became a well established saying in the literature associated with French cabinetmaking.[24] Professor C.R. Williams writes, There was no limit to the prices a reckless and profligate court was willing to pay for luxurious beauty during the sumptuous, extravagant reign of Louis the Magnificent of France. For much that was most splendid and beautiful in furniture making at this period stands the name of Charles André Boulle. His imagination and skill were given full play, and he proved equal to the demands made upon him.Boulle was a remarkable man. In a court whose only thought was of pleasure and display, he realized that his furniture must not only excel all others in richness, beauty, and cost; it must also be both comfortable and useful. He was appointed cabinet maker to the Dauphin, the heir to the throne of France. This distinction, together with his own tastes, led him to copy some of the manners and bearing of his rich customers.' He was an aristocrat among furniture makers. He spent the greater part of his large fortune in filling his workshop with works of art. His warehouses were packed with precious woods and finished and unfinished pieces of magnificent furniture. In his own rooms were priceless works of art, the collection of a lifetime—gems, medals, drawings, and paintings, which included forty-eight drawings by Raphael''.[29]

Boulle's output from, at one time, three workshops included commodes, bureaux, armoires, pedestals, clockcases and lighting-fixtures, richly mounted with gilt-bronze that he modelled himself. Despite his skills, his exquisite craftsmen and the high prices he commanded, Boulle was always running out of money. This was mostly as a direct result of his lifelong obsession as a collector and hoarder of works of art. Although he undoubtedly drew inspiration for his own works from these purchases, it meant he did not always pay his workmen regularly. In addition, clients who had made considerable advances failed to obtain the pieces they had ordered and, on more than one occasion. These dissatisfied clients made formal attempts to get Royal permission to arrest him for his debts, despite the Royal protection afforded by his post at the Louvre. In 1704, the king granted him six months' protection from his creditors on condition that Boulle use the time to regulate his affairs or ce sera la dernière grace que sa majesté lui fera là-dessus. Living beyond his means seems to have been a family trait as history repeated itself, twenty years later, when one of his sons was arrested at Fontainebleau and actually imprisoned until King Louis XV had him released.[24]

In 1720, Boulle's shaky finances were dealt a further blow by a fire which began in an adjoining atelier and spread to his workshop in the Place du Louvre (one of three he maintained[25]), completely destroying twenty workbenches and the various tools of eighteen ébénistes, two menuisiers as well as most of the precious seasoned wood, appliances, models, and finished works of art. What could be salvaged was sold and a petition for financial assistance made to the Regent, the success of this appeal is unknown. According to Boulle's friend, Pierre-Jean Mariette, many of his pecuniary problems were indeed as a direct result of his obsession for collecting and hoarding pictures, engravings, and other art objects. The inventory of his losses in this fire exceeded 40,000 livres, included many old Masters, not to mention 48 drawings by Raphael, wax models by Michelangelo and the manuscript journal kept by Rubens in Italy.

The compulsive Boulle attended literally every sale of drawings and engravings he could.[30] He borrowed at high interest rates to pay for his purchases until the next auction when he devised other means to gain more cash. His friend Pierre-Jean Mariette informs that it was a compulsion that was impossible to cure. André-Charles Boulle died on 29 February 1732 in the Louvre,[31] leaving many debts for his four sons to deal with and, to whom he had transferred ownership of his business and tenure in the Louvre some seventeen years earlier.[25]

Family

 
Design for a marquetry panel by Jean-Philippe Boulle, the Oldest Son of André-Charles Boulle.

Boulle left four sons: Jean-Philippe (1678-1744),[32] Pierre-Benoît (c.1683-1741), André-Charles II (1685–1749) and Charles-Joseph (1688–1754). They were handed over the contents and technology of his workshops as early as 1715.[25] Despite all four sons being granted the very prestigious Royal title ébéniste du roi, their financial affairs were as badly managed as those of their father's. Three of the four brothers are known to have died in debt.[24][33]

Boulle work

 
Example of Boulle work with tortoiseshell in mottled red, brass and pewter

'Boulle's inlay materials included tortoiseshell, brass, pewter and even animal horn. For contrasting woods, he often used rosewood, ebony, kingwood, and other dense, dark-toned tropical species. Boulle's marquetry technique was to make two contrasting sheets of intricate inlay that were cut from a single sandwich of materials. If the sandwich, or packet, contained two layers that were light and dark, the two finalproducts would be a sheet with a light pattern on a dark background, and a reversed sheet, with a dark pattern on a light background. One sheet would have been considered the primary pattern, in French the 'première partie'. The opposite pattern was called the counterpart, or 'contrapartie'. By sawing both patterns out of one packet and reassembling them on two trays, the background of the 'première partie' becomes the motif of the 'contrapartie'. Boulle made cabinets with both patterns in a single piece, or pairs of contrasting cabinets.'.[34]

Tortoiseshell

 
Boulle work showing the use of pewter (center) and the 'depth' given by tortoiseshell in the background. Brass Inlay is on the right and left.

Tortoiseshell was used in thin sliced inlays onto wood and is today an important reference with regard to Boulle work. Despite tortoiseshell's rarity and cost, its durability, organic warmth and mottled-red aesthetics made it particularly apt for exotic wood such as ebony. This is because it gives a sense of depth to Boulle work. The initial processing of tortoiseshell involves separating the layers of the scutes from the animal's carapace by heating, and softening the plates by boiling them, in salt water, and thereafter flattening them under a press. Although two pieces could be fused together by use of a hot iron, great care had to be taken not to lose the colour. Finishing and polishing was done by various techniques.[35][36]

Brass (Gilt bronze)

 
Brass work by Boulle

'Henry IV established the privileged status for the artists in 1608 in a lettre patente (royal decree) in which he stated his express purpose of encouraging the flourishing of the arts in France through a sort of cross-pollenisation and co-operation. The inhabitants enjoyed the status for life which freed then from the strict laws of the guild system and granted other legal and fiscal benefits. The system was very important to André Charles Boulle who was granted the prestige of a workshop in 1672, the same year he was named ébéniste, ciseleur, doreur du roi (cabinet maker, chaser, gilder to the King) by Marie-Thérèse d’Autriche (1638-1683), Louis XIV's wife and Queen. The space was too small for a furniture production workshop of any scale, so basically served as a calling card or prestigious address for Boulle who still possessed his family workshop on Rue de Reims on the left bank, and was eventually granted a large space of over 500 square meters in an abandoned theatre in the Louvre. (Jean Nérée Ronfort, exhibition catalogue) In addition, the lack of guild control allowed Boulle, who was also trained as a sculptor, to create and cast his own gilt bronze mounts for his furniture. From 1685, he possessed his own foundry, a critical aspect to the originality of his work. Boulle also created objects purely in gilt-bronze such as chandeliers, clocks, firedogs, wall lights among others, which contributed greatly to his fame.[37]

Pewter

 
Fine Premier-Parti Pewter inlay onto tortoiseshell by André-Charles Boulle Clock held at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts

'Pewter or brass inlay on tortoiseshell was known as premier-partie, while tortoiseshell inlay on brass or pewter was contre-partie. For an even more sumptuous effect, mother-of-pearl, stained horn and dyed tortoiseshell would be included in the design.'[38]

Works

 
André-Charles Boulle, circa 1690. Clock with Case and pedestal of oak with marquetry of tortoiseshell, engraved brass, and pewter; gilt bronze; dial of gilt brass with white enameled Arabic numerals; movement of brass and steell
 
André-Charles Boulle circa 1690. Clock with pedestal. Case and pedestal of oak with marquetry of tortoiseshell, engraved brass, and pewter; gilt bronze; dial of gilt brass with white enameled Arabic numerals; movement of brass and steel

André-Charles Boulle kept no accurate records of his prodigious output. The identification of furniture produced by Boulle's workshop is greatly hampered by a lack of documentation of the pieces he created. Unhappily it is by no means easy, even for the expert, to declare the authenticity of a commode, a bureau, or a table in the manner of Boulle and to all appearance from his workshops. His sons unquestionably carried on the traditions for some years after his death but his imitators were many and capable. A few of the more magnificent pedigree-pieces are among the worlds mobiliary treasures. Rather than having his own internal system of identification or poinçon or mark on each piece, he depended on the records kept by the Bâtiments du Roi. These, did not identify new works with specific entry numbers as they were being produced nor did they keep a detailed daily journal of output. Had Boulle used the royal wardrobe, the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne to identify and record his output, things might have turned out differently.[39]

Of his many Royal commissions, only a pair of commodes delivered in 1708 and 1709 to the King at the Grand Trianon can be securely linked to any sort of documentation to confirm provenance.[40] A series of grand armoires in the Louvre Museum and the Wallace Collection are also securely attributed to his workshop. Identification of some of Boulle's works based on the tell-tale refinements of the marquetry and the re-use of marquetry templates and characteristic boldly sculptured gilt-bronze mounts can at times be provenanced from three sets of images of furniture designs engraved by Boulle and published by his friend Pierre-Jean Mariette around 1720;[41] pieces depicted in a series of workshop drawings traditionally ascribed to Boulle in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris and private collections; and the descriptions in the inventory of works in progress made when Boulle transferred legal ownership of the workshops to his sons in 1715.[42]

A few of the more magnificent pedigree-pieces are among the worlds mobiliary treasures. There are, for instance, two famous armoires, which fetched 12,075 at the Hamilton Palace sale; the marquetry commodes, enriched with bronze mounts, formerly in the Bibliothèque Mazarine; various cabinets and commodes and tables in the Louvre, the Musée de Cluny and the Mobilier National; the marriage coffers of the dauphin which were in the San Donato collection. There are several fine authenticated pieces in the Wallace Collection at Hertford House, together with others consummately imitated, probably in the Louis Seize period. On the rare occasions when a pedigree example comes into the auction room, it invariably commands a high price; but there can be little doubt that the most splendid and sumptuous specimens of Boulle are diminishing in number, while the second and third classes of his work are perhaps becoming more numerous. The truth is that this wonderful work, with its engraved or inlaid designs; its myriads of tiny pieces of ivory and copper, ebony and tortoiseshell, all kept together with glue and tiny chased nails, and applied very often to a rather soft, white wood, is not meet to withstand the ravages of time and the variations of the atmosphere. Alternate heat and humidity are even greater enemies of inlaid furniture than time and wear. Such delicate objects were rarely used, and the most talented of the artists were employed by the crown.[24]

In museums

The Louvre

Some of André-Charles Boulles Art at the Louvre are shown below:

The Metropolitan Museum of Arts

Metropolitan Museum of Arts
 
Commode by André-Charles Boulle, son of Jean Boulle: (ca. 1710–20). Walnut veneered with ebony, marquetry of engraved brass and tortoiseshell, gilt-bronze mounts, verd antique marble

Indianapolis Museum of Art

 
Indianapolis Museum of Art Andre-Charles Boulle - Longcase Regulator

The Wallace Collection

Some of the most spectacular works by Boulle are on display at the Large Drawing Room of the Wallace Collection:

 
The Large Drawing Room with Boulle's works

The Art Institute of Chicago

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Legion of Honor Museum

 
Andre-Charles Boulle at The Legion of Honor (museum)

The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

 
Armoire -André-Charles Boulle, Paris circa 1700

The Victoria and Albert Museum

 
Victoria and Albert Museum. Design for a medal cabinet c.1720 "Plan des Deux Médaillers"

The Paul Getty Museum

 
J. Paul Getty Museum : André-Charles Boulle, Mantel Clock (Pendule), 1715 to 1725, Oak veneered with tortoise shell, blue-painted horn, brass, and ebony; enameled metal; gilt bronze mounts

Boulle in Châteaux

Château de Vaux Le-Vicomte

Château de Versailles

Grand Trianon

 
André-Charles Boulle, Commode Mazarin (Mazarin Cabinet), 1708, made for the Grand Trianon

Boulle delivered the prototypes for the Mazarin Commode to the Grand Trianon in 1708. Louis Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin Director of the King's buildings, wrote to Louis XIV: "I was at the Trianon inspecting the second writing desk by Boulle; it is as beautiful as the other and suits the room perfectly."[43] The design proved to be popular, although criticized for being awkward meaning, particularly because four extra spiral legs that were required to support the weight of the bronze and marble. At least five other examples were made by Boulle's workshop, dated between 1710 and 1732, including one now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[43]

Château de Chantilly

Waddesdon Manor

 
Pedestal clock by André-Charles Boulle, movement by George Graham, 1720-1725 - Waddesdon Manor - Buckinghamshire, England - DSC07655

The Royal Collection & Windsor Castle

'Most of the furniture in the Royal Collection made by, or attributed to, Boulle was acquired by George IV (1762–1830). A Francophile, the king furnished the royal palaces with large quantities of fashionable French furniture from the 1780s until his death in 1830. The lavish style and use of exotic materials accorded well with his extravagant taste. However, due to the volume of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century imitations, as well as the fact that Boulle did not sign his work, it can be difficult to definitively credit pieces to the maker. For this reason, many of the Boulle-marquetry pieces in the Royal Collection are recorded as ‘attributed to André-Charles Boulle’.[44] There are at least 13 works of art by André-Charles Boulle in the Royal Collection, including (i)Armoire, c. 1700 (The Grand Corridor, Windsor Castle) (ii) Cabinet (en première-partie), c. 1700 (The Grand Corridor, Windsor Castle) (iii) Cabinet (en contre-partie), c. 1700 (The Grand Corridor, Windsor Castle) (iv)Cabinet, (without stand, similar to ones in the State Hermitage Museum and the collections of the Duke of Buccleuch) (v) Paire de bas d'armoire, (The Grand Corridor, Windsor Castle) (vi) Writing table, possibly delivered to Louis, the Grand Dauphin (1661–1711), c. 1680 (vii) Paire de torchère, c. 1700 (viii) Bureau Plat, c. 1710 (The Rubens Room, Windsor Castle) (ix) Petit gaines, attributed to., early 18th century. (Source: Royal Collection)

See also

Bibliography

  • P. Fuhring, “Designs for and after Boulle furniture”, in The Burlington Magazine, June 1992, pp. 350–62;
  • P. Hughes, The Wallace Collection Catalogue of Furniture, vol. II, London, 1996;
  • A. Pradère, Les ebenistes Français de Louis XIV à la révolution, Paris, 1989;
  • J-R. Ronfort (ed.), André Charles Boulle : Un nouveau style pour l’Europe, exh. cat., Paris, 2009;
  • J-P. Samoyault, André Charles Boulle et sa famille, Paris, 1979.
  • The Boulle Archives, Centre de Recherches Historiques, 92, rue La Fayette, 75009 Paris

References

  1. ^ "Death of André-Charles Boulle". Mercure de France. March 1732.
  2. ^ "André-Charles Boulle "le joaillier du meuble"". Le Portail des Antiquaires.
  3. ^ "The French cabinetmaker who is generally considered to be the preeminent artist in the field of marquetry, even "the most remarkable of all French cabinetmakers."". Google Arts and Culture.
  4. ^ "Masters of marquetry in the 17th century: Boulle". Khanacademy.
  5. ^ "André-Charles Boulle - Inlay". Pinterest.
  6. ^ Theodore Dell, The Frick Collection, V: Furniture in the Frick Collection (1992:187).
  7. ^ "Boulle Work". Boulle Vortal.
  8. ^ André-Charles Boulle. "André Boulle, Ebeniste de Louis XIV" M. CHARLES ASSELINEAU 1872 P 11. 1872.
  9. ^ a b Jean-Pierre Samoyault, "André-Charles Boulle et sa famille: nouvelles recherches, nouveaux documents" Haute Etudes Medievales et Modernes, Nr 40, 1979, pp. 39 Para 2, Librairie Droz, Genève.
  10. ^ a b Jean-Pierre Samoyault, "André-Charles Boulle et sa famille: nouvelles recherches, nouveaux documents" Haute Etudes Medievales et Modernes, Nr 40, 1979, pp. 5, Librairie Droz, Genève.
  11. ^ "Burial of André-Charles Boulle in Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois". Mercure de France. March 1732.
  12. ^ André-Charles Boulle and Marseilles. "André Boulle, Ebeniste de Louis XIV" M. CHARLES ASSELINEAU 1872 P 13,14. 1872.
  13. ^ La Gorce, pp. 28–29, 115–119.
  14. ^ Jal, Auguste (1795-1873), "Dictionnaire critique de biographie et d'histoire : errata et supplément pour tous les dictionnaires historiques d'après des documents authentiques inédits",1867 pp 265, H. Plon (Paris).
  15. ^ "Internet History Sourcebooks". www.fordham.edu.
  16. ^ Morison, Samuel Eliot (1972). The Oxford History of the American People. New York City: Mentor. pp. 220. ISBN 0-451-62600-1.
  17. ^ Marriage d'André-Charles Boulle. Gallica.bnf "Livre Dictionnaire critique de biographie et d'histoire errata et supplément pour tous" PP 265. 1867.
  18. ^ a b Alain Garric, "Essai de Genealogie sur André-Charles Boulle par Alain Garric" [1]
  19. ^ Matthew PILKINGTON (Vicar of Donabate, Dublin.), Henry Fuseli, "The Gentleman's and Connosseur's Dictionary of Painters", 1760 pp 644, T. Cadell (London).
  20. ^ "Louis Du Guernier (1614-1659)". Musée virtuel du Protestantisme.
  21. ^ Entourage of André-Charles Boulle. Gallica.bnf "André Boulle, ébéniste de Louis XIV" PP 14. 1872.
  22. ^ Jean-Pierre Samoyault, "André-Charles Boulle et sa famille: nouvelles recherches, nouveaux documents" Haute Etudes Medievales et Modernes, Nr 40, 1979, pp. 36, Librairie Droz, Genève.
  23. ^ Jean Nérée Ronfort, "André-Charles Boulle (1642–1732). Chronologie nouvelle de sa vie et de son œuvre" Dossier de l'Art, Nr 124, November 2005, pp. 8-31, Editions Faton, Dijon.
  24. ^ a b c d e f   One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainPenderel-Brodhurst, James (1911). "Boulle, André Charles". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 321–323.
  25. ^ a b c d Dell 1992:187.
  26. ^ "Mariette and André-Charles Boulle". Art & Antiques.
  27. ^ Jean Nérée Ronfort, "André-Charles Boulle. Commandes pour le Grand Dauphin à Versailles" Dossier de l'Art, Nr 124, November 2005, pp. 38-63, Editions Faton, Dijon.
  28. ^ Jean Nérée Ronfort, "Inventaire d'un des magasins de la Direction Générale des Bâtiments du Roy à Versailles (c.1744-1746)", Dossier de l'Art, Nr 124, November 2005, pp. 64-65, Editions Faton, Dijon.
  29. ^ C.R. Williams, "The Mentor:Furniture and its Makers Vol.1, No. 30, Serial Number 30, September 7, 2015, [EBook #49904]
  30. ^ Th. H. Lunsingh-Scheurleer, "Parmigianino and Boulle", The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 68 No. 399 (June 1936), pp. 286-288.
  31. ^ "Death of André-Charles Boulle in the Louvre". Mercure de France. March 1732.
  32. ^ "Jean Philippe Boulle, Son of André-Charles Boulle". V&A.
  33. ^ Carolyn Sargentson, "Markets for Boulle furniture in early eighteenth-century Paris" The Burlington Magazine 134 No. 1071 (June 1992), pp. 363–367; Peter Fuhring, "Designs for and after Boulle Furniture", The Burlington Magazine 134 No. 1071 (June 1992), pp. 350-362.
  34. ^ "Beautiful Boulle Work". www.popularwoodworking.com. 31 December 2013.
  35. ^ Transactions, 344-346
  36. ^ Lupano, Guglielmo; Peola, Paolo (1915). Corso di Scienze Naturali a uso delle Scuole Complementari [A Course of Natural Sciences for the Complementary Institutes] (in Italian). G.B. Paravia. p. 71.
  37. ^ "André-Charles Boulle's Foundry". betharnold.com 25 January 2010 Edition.
  38. ^ "André-Charles Boulle in the Royal collection". Royal Collection.
  39. ^ Dell 1992:194/
  40. ^ Dell 1992:233-46 catalogues a very fine pair of 19th-century English copies in the Frick Collection.
  41. ^ Nouveaux Deisseins de Meubles et Ouvrages de Bronze et de Marqueterie Inventés et gravés par André Charles Boulle, n.d..
  42. ^ Sources note by Dell 1992:196 notes 13-15.
  43. ^ a b "Commode ca. 1710–20 - André-Charles Boulle, Metropolitan Museum of Arts". Metropolitan Museum of Art.
  44. ^ "Andre-Charles Boulle in the Royal Collection". Royal Collection.

External links

  • (in French) Comment reconnaître une marqueterie Boulle ?
  • (in French) Biographie de A.C Boulle Texte, publié par Charles Asselineau en 1872
  • (in French)
  • André-Charles Boulle dans Artcyclopedia
  • (in French)
  • Boulle's Inlays
  • (in French)

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andré, charles, boulle, november, 1642, february, 1732, joailler, meuble, furniture, jeweller, became, most, famous, french, cabinetmaker, preeminent, artist, field, marquetry, also, known, inlay, boulle, most, remarkable, french, cabinetmakers, jean, baptiste. Andre Charles Boulle 11 November 1642 29 February 1732 1 le joailler du meuble the furniture jeweller 2 became the most famous French cabinetmaker and the preeminent artist in the field of marquetry 3 4 also known as inlay 5 Boulle was the most remarkable of all French cabinetmakers 6 Jean Baptiste Colbert 29 August 1619 6 September 1683 recommended him to Louis XIV of France the Sun King r 1643 1715 as the most skilled craftsman in his profession citation needed Over the centuries since his death his name and that of his family has become associated with the art he perfected the inlay of tortoiseshell brass and pewter into ebony It has become known as Boulle work 7 and the Ecole Boulle founded in 1886 a college of fine arts and crafts and applied arts in Paris continues today to bear testimony to his enduring art the art of inlay Commode by Andre Charles Boulle son of Jean Boulle c 1710 20 Walnut veneered with ebony marquetry of engraved brass and tortoiseshell gilt bronze mounts verd antique marble Commode by Andre Charles Boulle Detail Contents 1 Life 2 Family 3 Boulle work 3 1 Tortoiseshell 3 2 Brass Gilt bronze 3 3 Pewter 4 Works 5 In museums 5 1 The Louvre 5 2 The Metropolitan Museum of Arts 5 3 Indianapolis Museum of Art 5 4 The Wallace Collection 5 5 The Art Institute of Chicago 5 6 The Cleveland Museum of Art 5 7 The Legion of Honor Museum 5 8 The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum 5 9 The Victoria and Albert Museum 5 10 The Paul Getty Museum 6 Boulle in Chateaux 6 1 Chateau de Vaux Le Vicomte 6 2 Chateau de Versailles 6 3 Grand Trianon 6 4 Chateau de Chantilly 6 5 Waddesdon Manor 6 6 The Royal Collection amp Windsor Castle 7 See also 8 Bibliography 9 References 10 External links 10 1 At auction 10 1 1 Sothebys 10 1 2 Christies 10 1 3 Hotel des Ventes de Monte CarloLife Editin 1677 on his marriage certificate Andre Charles Boulle gave his birth date for posterity as being 11 November 1642 No other document corroborates this birth in Paris The historians M Charles Read H L Lacordaire and Paulin Richard have determined 8 that his father was the Protestant Jan or Jean Johann Bolt or Bolte Boul Bolle 9 10 but at his own Catholic marriage Andre Charles Boulle named his father as Jean Boulle Andre Charles Boulle s marriage at Saint Sulpice and burial in 1732 at Saint Germain l Auxerrois 11 are but two of many lifetime inconsistencies with his Protestant provenance most easily explained by the ongoing persecution of Protestants His parentage with the Protestant Boulles from Marseille the Sun King s Historian 12 needs clarification and Colies in his Bibliotheque Choisies confirms a Marseillais relative as being the author of a History of Protestantism called Essay de l histoire des Protestants Distingues Par Nation 1646 Jean Baptiste Lully c 1670 Commode by Andre Charles Boulle son of Jean Boulle Detail In the absence of a birth document three factors play a critical part in the mystery surrounding Boulle s parentage The first is that foreign artists flocking to the Sun King s Court were keen to be naturalised French subjects to fit in and would like Jean Baptiste Lully the Royal Musician 28 November 1632 22 March 1687 have changed their names For Lully it was from Giovanni Battista Lulli to Jean Baptiste Lully but at his marriage he falsely declared his father s name to be Laurent de Lully gentilhomme Florentin Florentine gentleman 13 This historical background makes it difficult for the historian to identify which of the many Jean Boulles Jean Bolles 9 Johann Bolts or even Jean Boulds on record was Andre Charles Boulle s true father Some of these are of Catholic French origin some are French Protestants and some are from Gelderland in Holland 10 J Paul Getty Museum Wall Clock Attributed to Andre Charles Boulle French 1642 1732 master before 1666 Paris France about 1710 Gilt bronze blue painted horn enameled metal The second factor is that Andre Charles Boulle s birth date is almost certainly inacurrate Despite his genius or perhaps because of it Andre Charles Boulle was a demonstrably poor administrator and poor with dates and specifically in respect of his age His children were no different declaring him to be 90 Years old when he died This is highly unlikely 14 Clock with pedestal by Andre Charles Boulle Detail The third and perhaps most telling factor adding to the overall confusion about Boulle s parentage was that in October 1685 a mere 8 years after his marriage Louis XIV renounced the Edict of Nantes and declared Protestantism illegal with the Edict of Fontainebleau All Protestant ministers were given two weeks to leave the country unless they converted to Catholicism Louis XIV ordered the destruction of Huguenot churches as well as the closure of Protestant schools This made official the persecution of Protestants already enforced since 1681 and it led to around 400 000 fleeing the country 15 16 Jean Baptiste Lully demonstrates by his documented actions that marriage was a propitious time to tidy up provenance Within the context of the times it is natural to expect that as well as ensuring his father s Catholic name was recorded for posterity Andre Charles Boulle tidied up his own place and date of birth This made him older for motives we do not yet comprehend 17 There is also the definite possibility as yet unexplored by historians that Andre Charles Boulle was born in Holland It would explain a lot of the confusion around his parentage The salient fact is that we only have Andre Charles Boulle s word that he was born in Paris in 1642 Cabinet Oak veneered with Macassar and Gabon ebony ebonized fruitwood burl wood and marquetry of tortoiseshell and brass gilt bronze Andre Charles Boulle s Protestant family environment was a rich and artistic milieu totally consistent with the genius of the Art he was to produce in later years His father Jean Boulle ca 1616 18 was cabinetmaker to the King had been naturalised French in 1676 and lived in the Louvre by Royal Decree His grandfather Pierre Boulle ca 1595 1649 18 was naturalised French in 1675 had been cabinetmaker to Louis XIII and had also lived in the Louvre Andre Charles was thus exposed to two generations of illustrious artists master craftsmen engravers cabinetmakers and indeed family all directly contracted by the King As pointed out by the historians M De Montaiglon and Charles Asselineau this entourage included his aunt Marguerite Bahusche on his mother s side who was a famous painter in her own right married to another very famous artist Jacques Bunel de Blois Henri IV s favourite painter 19 Others who were appointed by the King and worked with the two preceding generations of Boulles from their ateliers in the Louvre included the painter Louis Du Guernier 1614 1659 20 the embroiderers Nicolas Boulle and Caillard and the goldsmith Pierre de la Barre 21 Boulle work on Boulle Clock Detail There is virtually nothing on Andre Charles Boulle s youth upbringing or training apart from a solitary Notarial Act dated 19 July 1666 when he was supposedly 24 years old agreeing a 5 year apprentice s contract for a 17 year old nephew Francois Delaleau Master Carpenter from L Abbaye des Celestins de Marcoussis in Paris 22 Andre Charles Boulle s own apprenticeship was therefore most likely to have occurred within the focused confines of his father s atelier at the Louvre Here in any event he was closest to the Sun King and to Jean Baptiste Colbert who discovered him 23 Andre Charles Boulle 1642 1732 Casemaker Attributed to Ebony Tortoiseshell and Brass Barometer Mantel Clock 1690 ebony tortoiseshell and brass on walnut and oak 42 1 4 in x 23 1 8 in x 10 1 4 in 107 32 cm x 58 67 cm x 26 04 cm Bequest of Winthrop Kellogg Edey 1999 In 1672 by the age of 30 Boulle had already been granted lodgings in the galleries of the Louvre which Louis XIV had set apart for the use of the most favoured among the artists employed by the Crown To be admitted to these galleries signified a mark of special Royal favour and also freed him from the restrictions imposed by the trade guilds Boulle received the deceased Jean Mace s lodgings on the recommendation of the Minister of Arts Jean Baptiste Colbert who described Boulle as le plus habile ebeniste de Paris The Royal Decree conferring this privilege describes Boulle variously as a chaser gilder and maker of marquetry 24 Boulle received the post of Premier ebeniste du Roi 25 The J Paul Getty Museum Cabinet on Stand Attributed to Andre Charles Boulle French 1642 1732 master before 1666 and medallions after Jean Varin French 1596 1672 Paris France about 1675 1680 Oak veneered with pewter brass tortoise shell horn ebony ivory and wood marquetry bronze mounts figures of painted and gilded oak with drawers of snakewood Boulle initially had aspirations to be a painter but according to one of his close friends Pierre Jean Mariette 7 May 1694 10 September 1774 he was forced by his cabinetmaker father Jean Boulle to develop other skills This may explain a sense of missed vocation and resultant passion and utter dedication to the collection of prints and paintings which nearly ruined him 26 The first payment on record to him by the crown 1669 specifies ouvrages de peinture and Boulle was employed for years on end at the Versailles where the mirrored walls floors of wood mosaic inlaid paneling and marquetry in the Cabinet du Dauphin 1682 1686 came to be regarded by such as Jean Aimar Piganiol de La Force 21 September 1669 10 January 1753 27 as his most remarkable work The rooms were dismantled in the Late 18th century and their unfashionable art broken up 24 More recently a partial inventory of the Grand Dauphin s decorations at the Palace of Versailles has come to light at the National Archives in Paris 28 Boulle carried out numerous royal commissions for the Sun King as can be seen from the records of the Batiments du Roi and correspondence of the marquis de Louvois Foreign Princes French Nobility government ministers and French financiers flocked to him offering him work and the famous words of the abbe de Marolles Boulle y tourne en ovale became a well established saying in the literature associated with French cabinetmaking 24 Professor C R Williams writes There was no limit to the prices a reckless and profligate court was willing to pay for luxurious beauty during the sumptuous extravagant reign of Louis the Magnificent of France For much that was most splendid and beautiful in furniture making at this period stands the name of Charles Andre Boulle His imagination and skill were given full play and he proved equal to the demands made upon him Boulle was a remarkable man In a court whose only thought was of pleasure and display he realized that his furniture must not only excel all others in richness beauty and cost it must also be both comfortable and useful He was appointed cabinet maker to the Dauphin the heir to the throne of France This distinction together with his own tastes led him to copy some of the manners and bearing of his rich customers He was an aristocrat among furniture makers He spent the greater part of his large fortune in filling his workshop with works of art His warehouses were packed with precious woods and finished and unfinished pieces of magnificent furniture In his own rooms were priceless works of art the collection of a lifetime gems medals drawings and paintings which included forty eight drawings by Raphael 29 Boulle s output from at one time three workshops included commodes bureaux armoires pedestals clockcases and lighting fixtures richly mounted with gilt bronze that he modelled himself Despite his skills his exquisite craftsmen and the high prices he commanded Boulle was always running out of money This was mostly as a direct result of his lifelong obsession as a collector and hoarder of works of art Although he undoubtedly drew inspiration for his own works from these purchases it meant he did not always pay his workmen regularly In addition clients who had made considerable advances failed to obtain the pieces they had ordered and on more than one occasion These dissatisfied clients made formal attempts to get Royal permission to arrest him for his debts despite the Royal protection afforded by his post at the Louvre In 1704 the king granted him six months protection from his creditors on condition that Boulle use the time to regulate his affairs or ce sera la derniere grace que sa majeste lui fera la dessus Living beyond his means seems to have been a family trait as history repeated itself twenty years later when one of his sons was arrested at Fontainebleau and actually imprisoned until King Louis XV had him released 24 In 1720 Boulle s shaky finances were dealt a further blow by a fire which began in an adjoining atelier and spread to his workshop in the Place du Louvre one of three he maintained 25 completely destroying twenty workbenches and the various tools of eighteen ebenistes two menuisiers as well as most of the precious seasoned wood appliances models and finished works of art What could be salvaged was sold and a petition for financial assistance made to the Regent the success of this appeal is unknown According to Boulle s friend Pierre Jean Mariette many of his pecuniary problems were indeed as a direct result of his obsession for collecting and hoarding pictures engravings and other art objects The inventory of his losses in this fire exceeded 40 000 livres included many old Masters not to mention 48 drawings by Raphael wax models by Michelangelo and the manuscript journal kept by Rubens in Italy The compulsive Boulle attended literally every sale of drawings and engravings he could 30 He borrowed at high interest rates to pay for his purchases until the next auction when he devised other means to gain more cash His friend Pierre Jean Mariette informs that it was a compulsion that was impossible to cure Andre Charles Boulle died on 29 February 1732 in the Louvre 31 leaving many debts for his four sons to deal with and to whom he had transferred ownership of his business and tenure in the Louvre some seventeen years earlier 25 Family Edit Design for a marquetry panel by Jean Philippe Boulle the Oldest Son of Andre Charles Boulle Boulle left four sons Jean Philippe 1678 1744 32 Pierre Benoit c 1683 1741 Andre Charles II 1685 1749 and Charles Joseph 1688 1754 They were handed over the contents and technology of his workshops as early as 1715 25 Despite all four sons being granted the very prestigious Royal title ebeniste du roi their financial affairs were as badly managed as those of their father s Three of the four brothers are known to have died in debt 24 33 Boulle work Edit Example of Boulle work with tortoiseshell in mottled red brass and pewter Boulle s inlay materials included tortoiseshell brass pewter and even animal horn For contrasting woods he often used rosewood ebony kingwood and other dense dark toned tropical species Boulle s marquetry technique was to make two contrasting sheets of intricate inlay that were cut from a single sandwich of materials If the sandwich or packet contained two layers that were light and dark the two finalproducts would be a sheet with a light pattern on a dark background and a reversed sheet with a dark pattern on a light background One sheet would have been considered the primary pattern in French the premiere partie The opposite pattern was called the counterpart or contrapartie By sawing both patterns out of one packet and reassembling them on two trays the background of the premiere partie becomes the motif of the contrapartie Boulle made cabinets with both patterns in a single piece or pairs of contrasting cabinets 34 Tortoiseshell Edit Boulle work showing the use of pewter center and the depth given by tortoiseshell in the background Brass Inlay is on the right and left Tortoiseshell was used in thin sliced inlays onto wood and is today an important reference with regard to Boulle work Despite tortoiseshell s rarity and cost its durability organic warmth and mottled red aesthetics made it particularly apt for exotic wood such as ebony This is because it gives a sense of depth to Boulle work The initial processing of tortoiseshell involves separating the layers of the scutes from the animal s carapace by heating and softening the plates by boiling them in salt water and thereafter flattening them under a press Although two pieces could be fused together by use of a hot iron great care had to be taken not to lose the colour Finishing and polishing was done by various techniques 35 36 Brass Gilt bronze Edit Brass work by Boulle Henry IV established the privileged status for the artists in 1608 in a lettre patente royal decree in which he stated his express purpose of encouraging the flourishing of the arts in France through a sort of cross pollenisation and co operation The inhabitants enjoyed the status for life which freed then from the strict laws of the guild system and granted other legal and fiscal benefits The system was very important to Andre Charles Boulle who was granted the prestige of a workshop in 1672 the same year he was named ebeniste ciseleur doreur du roi cabinet maker chaser gilder to the King by Marie Therese d Autriche 1638 1683 Louis XIV s wife and Queen The space was too small for a furniture production workshop of any scale so basically served as a calling card or prestigious address for Boulle who still possessed his family workshop on Rue de Reims on the left bank and was eventually granted a large space of over 500 square meters in an abandoned theatre in the Louvre Jean Neree Ronfort exhibition catalogue In addition the lack of guild control allowed Boulle who was also trained as a sculptor to create and cast his own gilt bronze mounts for his furniture From 1685 he possessed his own foundry a critical aspect to the originality of his work Boulle also created objects purely in gilt bronze such as chandeliers clocks firedogs wall lights among others which contributed greatly to his fame 37 Pewter Edit Fine Premier Parti Pewter inlay onto tortoiseshell by Andre Charles Boulle Clock held at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts Pewter or brass inlay on tortoiseshell was known as premier partie while tortoiseshell inlay on brass or pewter was contre partie For an even more sumptuous effect mother of pearl stained horn and dyed tortoiseshell would be included in the design 38 Works Edit Andre Charles Boulle circa 1690 Clock with Case and pedestal of oak with marquetry of tortoiseshell engraved brass and pewter gilt bronze dial of gilt brass with white enameled Arabic numerals movement of brass and steell Andre Charles Boulle circa 1690 Clock with pedestal Case and pedestal of oak with marquetry of tortoiseshell engraved brass and pewter gilt bronze dial of gilt brass with white enameled Arabic numerals movement of brass and steel Andre Charles Boulle kept no accurate records of his prodigious output The identification of furniture produced by Boulle s workshop is greatly hampered by a lack of documentation of the pieces he created Unhappily it is by no means easy even for the expert to declare the authenticity of a commode a bureau or a table in the manner of Boulle and to all appearance from his workshops His sons unquestionably carried on the traditions for some years after his death but his imitators were many and capable A few of the more magnificent pedigree pieces are among the worlds mobiliary treasures Rather than having his own internal system of identification or poincon or mark on each piece he depended on the records kept by the Batiments du Roi These did not identify new works with specific entry numbers as they were being produced nor did they keep a detailed daily journal of output Had Boulle used the royal wardrobe the Garde Meuble de la Couronne to identify and record his output things might have turned out differently 39 Of his many Royal commissions only a pair of commodes delivered in 1708 and 1709 to the King at the Grand Trianon can be securely linked to any sort of documentation to confirm provenance 40 A series of grand armoires in the Louvre Museum and the Wallace Collection are also securely attributed to his workshop Identification of some of Boulle s works based on the tell tale refinements of the marquetry and the re use of marquetry templates and characteristic boldly sculptured gilt bronze mounts can at times be provenanced from three sets of images of furniture designs engraved by Boulle and published by his friend Pierre Jean Mariette around 1720 41 pieces depicted in a series of workshop drawings traditionally ascribed to Boulle in the Musee des Arts Decoratifs Paris and private collections and the descriptions in the inventory of works in progress made when Boulle transferred legal ownership of the workshops to his sons in 1715 42 A few of the more magnificent pedigree pieces are among the worlds mobiliary treasures There are for instance two famous armoires which fetched 12 075 at the Hamilton Palace sale the marquetry commodes enriched with bronze mounts formerly in the Bibliotheque Mazarine various cabinets and commodes and tables in the Louvre the Musee de Cluny and the Mobilier National the marriage coffers of the dauphin which were in the San Donato collection There are several fine authenticated pieces in the Wallace Collection at Hertford House together with others consummately imitated probably in the Louis Seize period On the rare occasions when a pedigree example comes into the auction room it invariably commands a high price but there can be little doubt that the most splendid and sumptuous specimens of Boulle are diminishing in number while the second and third classes of his work are perhaps becoming more numerous The truth is that this wonderful work with its engraved or inlaid designs its myriads of tiny pieces of ivory and copper ebony and tortoiseshell all kept together with glue and tiny chased nails and applied very often to a rather soft white wood is not meet to withstand the ravages of time and the variations of the atmosphere Alternate heat and humidity are even greater enemies of inlaid furniture than time and wear Such delicate objects were rarely used and the most talented of the artists were employed by the crown 24 In museums EditThe Louvre Edit Some of Andre Charles Boulles Art at the Louvre are shown below The Metropolitan Museum of Arts Edit Metropolitan Museum of Arts Commode by Andre Charles Boulle son of Jean Boulle ca 1710 20 Walnut veneered with ebony marquetry of engraved brass and tortoiseshell gilt bronze mounts verd antique marble Indianapolis Museum of Art Edit Indianapolis Museum of Art Andre Charles Boulle Longcase Regulator The Wallace Collection Edit Some of the most spectacular works by Boulle are on display at the Large Drawing Room of the Wallace Collection The Large Drawing Room with Boulle s works The Art Institute of Chicago Edit Casket early 18th century attributed to Andre Charles Boulle oak carcass veneered with tortoiseshell gilt copper pewter ebony The Art Institute of Chicago The Cleveland Museum of Art Edit Cabinet c 1690 ebony metal and tortoise shell Cleveland Museum of Art Clock c 1695 tortoise shell andbrass inlay gilt bronzeThe Legion of Honor Museum Edit Andre Charles Boulle at The Legion of Honor museum The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum Edit Armoire Andre Charles Boulle Paris circa 1700 The Victoria and Albert Museum Edit Victoria and Albert Museum Design for a medal cabinet c 1720 Plan des Deux Medaillers The Paul Getty Museum Edit J Paul Getty Museum Andre Charles Boulle Mantel Clock Pendule 1715 to 1725 Oak veneered with tortoise shell blue painted horn brass and ebony enameled metal gilt bronze mountsBoulle in Chateaux EditChateau de Vaux Le Vicomte Edit Chateau Vaux le Vicomte Chambre des Muses Grand Bureau de Nicolas Fouquet Commode Mazarine Chateau de Versailles Edit Armoire Medal Chest Medal Chest and Commode Salon de L Abondance 1867 Boulle workGrand Trianon Edit Andre Charles Boulle Commode Mazarin Mazarin Cabinet 1708 made for the Grand Trianon Boulle delivered the prototypes for the Mazarin Commode to the Grand Trianon in 1708 Louis Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin Director of the King s buildings wrote to Louis XIV I was at the Trianon inspecting the second writing desk by Boulle it is as beautiful as the other and suits the room perfectly 43 The design proved to be popular although criticized for being awkward meaning particularly because four extra spiral legs that were required to support the weight of the bronze and marble At least five other examples were made by Boulle s workshop dated between 1710 and 1732 including one now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art 43 Chateau de Chantilly Edit Table BureauWaddesdon Manor Edit Pedestal clock by Andre Charles Boulle movement by George Graham 1720 1725 Waddesdon Manor Buckinghamshire England DSC07655 The Royal Collection amp Windsor Castle Edit Most of the furniture in the Royal Collection made by or attributed to Boulle was acquired by George IV 1762 1830 A Francophile the king furnished the royal palaces with large quantities of fashionable French furniture from the 1780s until his death in 1830 The lavish style and use of exotic materials accorded well with his extravagant taste However due to the volume of eighteenth and nineteenth century imitations as well as the fact that Boulle did not sign his work it can be difficult to definitively credit pieces to the maker For this reason many of the Boulle marquetry pieces in the Royal Collection are recorded as attributed to Andre Charles Boulle 44 There are at least 13 works of art by Andre Charles Boulle in the Royal Collection including i Armoire c 1700 The Grand Corridor Windsor Castle ii Cabinet en premiere partie c 1700 The Grand Corridor Windsor Castle iii Cabinet en contre partie c 1700 The Grand Corridor Windsor Castle iv Cabinet without stand similar to ones in the State Hermitage Museum and the collections of the Duke of Buccleuch v Paire de bas d armoire The Grand Corridor Windsor Castle vi Writing table possibly delivered to Louis the Grand Dauphin 1661 1711 c 1680 vii Paire de torchere c 1700 viii Bureau Plat c 1710 The Rubens Room Windsor Castle ix Petit gaines attributed to early 18th century Source Royal Collection See also Edit France portal Arts portalBarometer Clock Boulle Bibliography EditP Fuhring Designs for and after Boulle furniture in The Burlington Magazine June 1992 pp 350 62 P Hughes The Wallace Collection Catalogue of Furniture vol II London 1996 A Pradere Les ebenistes Francais de Louis XIV a la revolution Paris 1989 J R Ronfort ed Andre Charles Boulle Un nouveau style pour l Europe exh cat Paris 2009 J P Samoyault Andre Charles Boulle et sa famille Paris 1979 The Boulle Archives Centre de Recherches Historiques 92 rue La Fayette 75009 ParisReferences Edit Death of Andre Charles Boulle Mercure de France March 1732 Andre Charles Boulle le joaillier du meuble Le Portail des Antiquaires The French cabinetmaker who is generally considered to be the preeminent artist in the field of marquetry even the most remarkable of all French cabinetmakers Google Arts and Culture Masters of marquetry in the 17th century Boulle Khanacademy Andre Charles Boulle Inlay Pinterest Theodore Dell The Frick Collection V Furniture in the Frick Collection 1992 187 Boulle Work Boulle Vortal Andre Charles Boulle Andre Boulle Ebeniste de Louis XIV M CHARLES ASSELINEAU 1872 P 11 1872 a b Jean Pierre Samoyault Andre Charles Boulle et sa famille nouvelles recherches nouveaux documents Haute Etudes Medievales et Modernes Nr 40 1979 pp 39 Para 2 Librairie Droz Geneve a b Jean Pierre Samoyault Andre Charles Boulle et sa famille nouvelles recherches nouveaux documents Haute Etudes Medievales et Modernes Nr 40 1979 pp 5 Librairie Droz Geneve Burial of Andre Charles Boulle in Saint Germain l Auxerrois Mercure de France March 1732 Andre Charles Boulle and Marseilles Andre Boulle Ebeniste de Louis XIV M CHARLES ASSELINEAU 1872 P 13 14 1872 La Gorce pp 28 29 115 119 Jal Auguste 1795 1873 Dictionnaire critique de biographie et d histoire errata et supplement pour tous les dictionnaires historiques d apres des documents authentiques inedits 1867 pp 265 H Plon Paris Internet History Sourcebooks www fordham edu Morison Samuel Eliot 1972 The Oxford History of the American People New York City Mentor pp 220 ISBN 0 451 62600 1 Marriage d Andre Charles Boulle Gallica bnf Livre Dictionnaire critique de biographie et d histoire errata et supplement pour tous PP 265 1867 a b Alain Garric Essai de Genealogie sur Andre Charles Boulle par Alain Garric 1 Matthew PILKINGTON Vicar of Donabate Dublin Henry Fuseli The Gentleman s and Connosseur s Dictionary of Painters 1760 pp 644 T Cadell London Louis Du Guernier 1614 1659 Musee virtuel du Protestantisme Entourage of Andre Charles Boulle Gallica bnf Andre Boulle ebeniste de Louis XIV PP 14 1872 Jean Pierre Samoyault Andre Charles Boulle et sa famille nouvelles recherches nouveaux documents Haute Etudes Medievales et Modernes Nr 40 1979 pp 36 Librairie Droz Geneve Jean Neree Ronfort Andre Charles Boulle 1642 1732 Chronologie nouvelle de sa vie et de son œuvre Dossier de l Art Nr 124 November 2005 pp 8 31 Editions Faton Dijon a b c d e f One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Penderel Brodhurst James 1911 Boulle Andre Charles In Chisholm Hugh ed Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 4 11th ed Cambridge University Press pp 321 323 a b c d Dell 1992 187 Mariette and Andre Charles Boulle Art amp Antiques Jean Neree Ronfort Andre Charles Boulle Commandes pour le Grand Dauphin a Versailles Dossier de l Art Nr 124 November 2005 pp 38 63 Editions Faton Dijon Jean Neree Ronfort Inventaire d un des magasins de la Direction Generale des Batiments du Roy a Versailles c 1744 1746 Dossier de l Art Nr 124 November 2005 pp 64 65 Editions Faton Dijon C R Williams The Mentor Furniture and its Makers Vol 1 No 30 Serial Number 30 September 7 2015 EBook 49904 Th H Lunsingh Scheurleer Parmigianino and Boulle The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 68 No 399 June 1936 pp 286 288 Death of Andre Charles Boulle in the Louvre Mercure de France March 1732 Jean Philippe Boulle Son of Andre Charles Boulle V amp A Carolyn Sargentson Markets for Boulle furniture in early eighteenth century Paris The Burlington Magazine 134 No 1071 June 1992 pp 363 367 Peter Fuhring Designs for and after Boulle Furniture The Burlington Magazine 134 No 1071 June 1992 pp 350 362 Beautiful Boulle Work www popularwoodworking com 31 December 2013 Transactions 344 346 Lupano Guglielmo Peola Paolo 1915 Corso di Scienze Naturali a uso delle Scuole Complementari A Course of Natural Sciences for the Complementary Institutes in Italian G B Paravia p 71 Andre Charles Boulle s Foundry betharnold com 25 January 2010 Edition Andre Charles Boulle in the Royal collection Royal Collection Dell 1992 194 Dell 1992 233 46 catalogues a very fine pair of 19th century English copies in the Frick Collection Nouveaux Deisseins de Meubles et Ouvrages de Bronze et de Marqueterie Inventes et graves par Andre Charles Boulle n d Sources note by Dell 1992 196 notes 13 15 a b Commode ca 1710 20 Andre Charles Boulle Metropolitan Museum of Arts Metropolitan Museum of Art Andre Charles Boulle in the Royal Collection Royal Collection External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Andre Charles Boulle in French Comment reconnaitre une marqueterie Boulle in French Biographie de A C Boulle Texte publie par Charles Asselineau en 1872 in French Dossier de l Art Boulle amp Versailles Andre Charles Boulle dans Artcyclopedia in French Andre Charles Boulle 1642 1732 un nouveau Style pour l Europe Boulle s Inlays in French Dossier de l Art Boulle amp Versailles Ecole Boulle Paris Andre Charles Boulle 1642 1732 and the Art of his Time a new Style for EuropeAt auction Edit Sothebys Edit http www sothebys com en search results html keyword boulle http www sothebys com en auctions ecatalogue lot 22 html 2004 the greenberg collection important french furniture n08031 http www sothebys com en auctions ecatalogue 2017 treasures l17303 lot 21 htmlChristies Edit http artist christies com Andre Charles Boulle 13150 aspxHotel des Ventes de Monte Carlo Edit http www hvmc com en auctions mobilier objets d art tableaux anciens archeologie civilisation vente de prestige 105 andre charles boulle 1642 1732 84929 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Andre Charles Boulle amp oldid 1133147736, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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