Andre-Charles Boulle

André-Charles Boulle (11 November 1642 – 29 February 1732), le joailler du meuble (the “furniture jeweller”), became the most famous French cabinetmaker and the preeminent artist in the field of marquetry, also known as “inlay”. Boulle was “the most remarkable of all French cabinetmakers”.[6] Jean-Baptiste Colbert (29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) recommended him to Louis XIV of France, the “Sun King” (r. 1643–1715), as “the most skilled craftsman in his profession”.[citation needed] Over the centuries since his death, his name and that of his family has become associated with the art he perfected, the inlay of tortoiseshell, brass and pewter into ebony. It has become known as Boulle Work,[7] and the École Boulle (founded in 1886), a college of fine arts and crafts and applied arts in Paris, continues today to bear testimony to his enduring art, the art of inlay.

Andre-Charles Boulle

1642-1732

Past Lots

An imposing Louis XIV style 'bureau à gradin', rosewood veneered with brass inlaid decoration, H 151 - W 152 - D 93 cm