Large cupboards in which to keep clothes and other objects had been in use in France for some time before this type of furniture was adapted in the later 17th century to serve in rooms of state. An impressive appearance could be heightened by means of the materials used, as in this example, which is finely decorated with boulle marquetry - veneers (wafer-thin sheets that are glued and then cut out to a design) in ebony, tortoiseshell, brass, pewter and horn. The Paris workshop of André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732) made the most important pieces of furniture of this kind, but this example, although of high quality, is probably the work of another cabinet-maker.
Physical description
Armoire or cupboard. The two-door enclosed top with later architectural dentilated brass cornice moulding on an enclosed two-door base terminating in scrolling moulded feet; the lower section with (later?) lockable strongboxes.
Oak veneered with ebony, tortoise-shell, brass, pewter & clear horn with turquoise blue pigment behind, gilt bronze mounts with crossed 'L' cipher.
Decorated with ornate floral scrollwork with cherubs, birds, flowers, strapwork and other motifs.
Place of Origin
Paris, France (made)
Date
ca. 1700 (made)
Artist/maker
Unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Ebony veneer, with marquetry of engraved pewter and brass and panels of clear horn over blue pigment, on an oak carcase
Dimensions
Height: 2560 mm, Width: 1550 mm, Depth: 650 mm
Object history note
A most distinctive feature of this armoire is the very large oval panels in the centre of each door, veneered with horn over a blue pigment, and with a device of interlaced 'L's' (one reversed) in brass. This may be the cipher of the Grand Dauphin (d. 1711), grandson of Louis XIV. The same cipher appears on a book binding supplied by Boulle for Louis XIV.
Historical context note
Such large cupboards had long been in use in France before the form was adapted in the late 17th-century as a piece of furniture designed primarily for its impressive appearance in state rooms. Marquetry composed of a combination of tortoiseshell, horn, brass and other metals is known as 'boulle ' marquetry, after André-Charles Boulle. (1642-1732), cabinet-maker to Louis XIV. Boulle was only one of several first-rate cabinet-makers to develop such marquetry in Paris; his status as royal cabinet-maker is likely to have ensured that it was his name that became synonymous with the technique. Boulle marquetry was termed 'première partie' when the brass decoration was inlaid into a dark ground (usually of tortoiseshell or ebony) and 'contre partie' when the ground was of metal and the decorative inlay of tortoise shell or other contrasting material (A. Pradère, pp.67-109, see References).
A drawing attributed to Boulle's workshop, and possibly by his hand, shows two alternative designs for a cupbouard on this scale. Though a number of armoires of this date are attributed to Boulle (some including panels of marquetry in wood for which he was also noted), the decoration of the panels on the V&A piece shows no similarities to boulle marquetry firmly associated with his workshop.
Boulle marquetry remained high in esteem throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and was one of the first enthusiasms of the early 19th-century collectors of antique French furniture.
Descriptive line
Armoire or cupboard; oak veneered, gilt bronze mounts with cipher of crossed L`s. France (Paris), ca. 1700.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Wilk, C. (ed). Western Furniture 1350 to the Present Day. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996. pp. 78-79, ill. ISBN 085667463X.
Labels and date
[Label text by Peter Thornton]
Cupboard
French (Paris); late 17th-century
Oak veneered with ebony, with marquetry of engraved pewter and brass; the oval panels of horn backed by a blue pigment. Gilt bronze mounts. Inside the lower section are two strong-boxes of oak.
It was been suggested that the monogram of coupled 'L's' on the doors may stand for Louis, the Grand Dauphin (d.1711), rather than for Louis XIV himself.
The cupboard has been attributed to André-Charles Boulle, but the marquetry is not very like that normally associated with him, and it seems likely that this impressive piece of furniture was made by one of the other leading Parisian cabinet-makers of the period. The entablature has apparently been altered at some point. In 1883, it was stated that John Jones acquired this cupboard 'many years ago from a house in Carlton Terrace, for a moderate sum'.
Jones Collection [ca. 1980]
Production Note
The maker is unknown, but it is clearly the product of a highly-skilled workshop working in the manner of André-Charles Boulle.
Attribution note: This armoire is exceptional for its monumental scale and fine decoration and especially for the quality of the design and workmanship of the panels of engraved marquetry.
Materials
Oak; Ebony; Brass (alloy); Gilt bronze; Pewter; Tortoise shell; Horn
Techniques
Cabinet making; Boulle work
Subjects depicted
Bird; Flower; Monograms
Categories
Furniture
Collection code
FWK
