Wardrobe

Together with its companion piece in première-partie marquetry, this wardrobe was listed in the workshop of the great cabinetmaker André-Charles Boulle in October 1715, when he handed over his workshop to his sons. It is veneered with contre-partie marquetry, with the design laid out in turtleshell against a background of brass, and was valued at less than its companion, where the turtleshell provides the background, reflecting the lesser expense of brass veneer as opposed to turtleshell. Although he did not invent the technique, Boulle gave his name to this type of marquetry, so often to be found on 18th- and 19th-century furniture. Few pieces of furniture can today be definitely associated with his workshop, but this is one of them. The movement of the clock at the top of the wardrobe is by Pierre Gaudron, who was clockmaker to the regent. The central clock case closely resembles a drawing in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, formerly attributed to Gilles-Marie Oppenordt but now to Boulle himself. The symbolism of the infants around the clock dial is not entirely clear, but the infant with the owl is more likely to represent Night than Learning. The infant scattering flowers may represent Dawn, by analogy with Aurora. The diapered marquetry on the outer, upper sections of the door are very similar to the patterns found on Japanese 17th-century lacquer and may well have been a deliberate attempt by Boulle to adapt the motif for use on French furniture. Certainly the entire effect of black (ebony) and gold (gilt bronze) evokes black lacquer of the period that Europeans were not able to make.