Boulle work[1] (also known asbuhl work) is a type of richmarquetry[2] process orinlay perfected by the French cabinetmakerAndré-Charles Boulle (1642–1732).[3] It involves veneering furniture withtortoiseshell inlaid primarily withbrass andpewter in elaborate designs, often incorporatingarabesques.
Although Boulle did not invent the technique, he was its greatest practitioner and gave his name to it. Boulle came from a well-known Protestant family of artists in France living primarily in Paris but also inMarseille.[4][5] The first recorded payment to Boulle by the crown, from 1669, specifiesouvrages de peinture, suggesting that he was originally a painter.[6] Boulle was awarded the title of master cabinetmaker around 1666; in 1672[7] he received the post ofPremier ébéniste du Roi[8] and was admitted to a group of skilled artists maintained byLouis XIV, in theLouvre Palace. In 1672 Boulle received a warrant signed by the queen, giving him the added title ofbronzier as well asEbeniste du Roi. One of Boulle's greatest masterpieces is his decoration of the dauphin's private study, created between 1681 and 1683.[9] Boulle's masterpieces are now mostly in museums and have come to represent the wealth, luxury and finesse of the court of Louis XIV, the Sun King.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Penderel-Brodhurst, James (1911). "Boulle, André Charles". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 321–323.His masterpiece, however, was his decoration of the dauphin's private study with flooring in wood mosaic and extraordinarily detailed paneling and marquetry (1681–83; now destroyed).
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
