André-Charles Boulle

Exhibition at the Château de Chantilly, 8 June - 6 October 2024

André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732) played a central role in the development of French furniture in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Along with the commode, the bureau plat was one of his most important creations at the end of the reign of Louis XIV.

For more than fifty years, the cabinetmaker worked for the Bâtiments du roi and, with his workshop, took on commissions from the royal family and high nobility. He achieved a degree of technical perfection, particularly in metal and tortoiseshell marquetry, which he brought to the highest level. A bronze-smith of genius, he imposed gilded bronze on furniture, renewing its typologies. Among his most prestigious clients was Louis-Henri, Prince de Condé and Lord of Chantilly, more commonly known by his title Duc de Bourbon (1692-1740). His after-death inventory shows just how interested he was in Boulle's work.

Bringing together a significant number of desks created by Boulle, this exhibition catalogue traces the evolution of forms and decorations in the cabinetmaker's care. The work is based on extensive research devoted to technical analysis, seeking to establish solid benchmarks for Boulle's construction, marquetry decorations and bronzes.