André-Charles Boulle
André-Charles Boulle (11 November 1642 – 29 February 1732),
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
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
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]
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),
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.
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]
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.
In 1672, by the age of 30, Boulle had already been granted lodgings in the galleries of the
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
Boulle carried out numerous royal commissions for the "
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
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
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
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
'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
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)
'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
'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 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
A few of the more magnificent pedigree-pieces are among the worlds mobiliary treasures. There are, for instance, two famous
In museums
The Louvre
Some of André-Charles Boulles Art at the Louvre are shown below:
The Metropolitan Museum of Arts
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Wallace Collection
Some of the most spectacular works by Boulle are on display at the Large Drawing Room of the Wallace Collection:
The Art Institute of Chicago
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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
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Cabinet, c. 1690, ebony, metal and tortoise shell, Cleveland Museum of Art
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Clock, c. 1695, tortoise shell and
brass inlay, gilt bronze
The Legion of Honor Museum
The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum
The Paul Getty Museum
Boulle in Châteaux
Château de Vaux Le-Vicomte
-
Château Vaux le Vicomte
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Chambre des Muses
-
Grand Bureau de Nicolas Fouquet
-
Commode "Mazarine"
Château de Versailles
-
Armoire
-
Medal Chest
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Medal Chest and Commode
-
Salon de L'Abondance
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1867 Boulle work
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
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Table
-
Bureau
Waddesdon Manor
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
- Barometer Clock (Boulle)
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
- ^ "Death of André-Charles Boulle". Mercure de France. March 1732.
- ^ "André-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. Archived from the original on 8 March 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
- ^ "André-Charles Boulle - Inlay". Pinterest.
- ^ Theodore Dell, The Frick Collection, V: Furniture in the Frick Collection (1992:187).
- ^ "Boulle Work". Boulle Vortal.
- ^ André-Charles Boulle. "André Boulle, Ebeniste de Louis XIV" M. CHARLES ASSELINEAU 1872 P 11. 1872.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Burial of André-Charles Boulle in Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois". Mercure de France. March 1732.
- ^ André-Charles Boulle and Marseilles. "André 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 supplément pour tous les dictionnaires historiques d'après des documents authentiques inédits",1867 pp 265, H. Plon (Paris).
- ^ "Internet History Sourcebooks". www.fordham.edu.
- ISBN 0-451-62600-1.
- ^ Marriage d'André-Charles Boulle. Gallica.bnf "Livre Dictionnaire critique de biographie et d'histoire errata et supplément pour tous" PP 265. 1867.
- ^ a b Alain Garric, "Essai de Genealogie sur André-Charles Boulle par Alain Garric" [1]
- ^ Matthew PILKINGTON (Vicar of Donabate, Dublin.), Henry Fuseli, "The Gentleman's and Connoisseur's Dictionary of Painters", 1760 pp 644, T. Cadell (London).
- ^ "Louis Du Guernier (1614-1659)". Musée virtuel du Protestantisme.
- ^ Entourage of André-Charles Boulle. Gallica.bnf "André Boulle, ébéniste de Louis XIV" PP 14. 1872.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d e f public domain: Penderel-Brodhurst, James (1911). "Boulle, André Charles". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 321–323. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ a b c d Dell 1992:187.
- ^ "Mariette and André-Charles Boulle". Art & Antiques.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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 André-Charles Boulle in the Louvre". Mercure de France. March 1732.
- ^ "Jean Philippe Boulle, Son of André-Charles Boulle". V&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.
- ^ "André-Charles Boulle's Foundry". betharnold.com 25 January 2010 Edition.
- ^ "André-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 Inventés et gravés par André Charles Boulle, n.d.
- ^ Sources note by Dell 1992:196 notes 13-15.
- ^ a b "Commode ca. 1710–20 - André-Charles Boulle, Metropolitan Museum of Arts". Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- ^ "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) Dossier de l'Art Boulle & Versailles
- André-Charles Boulle dans Artcyclopedia
- (in French) André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732), un nouveau Style pour l'Europe
- Boulle's Inlays
- (in French) Dossier de l'Art Boulle & Versailles
- Ecole Boulle Paris
- André Charles Boulle (1642–1732) and the Art of his Time, a new Style for Europe
At auction
Sothebys
- 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.html
Christies
Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo