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Secrétaire

Creator

French Artist · 1772–1772

Nothing is known about Joseph Baumhauer's childhood and training in Germany before his arrival in Paris in the 1740s. His marriage to the daughter of a French furniture-maker probably allowed him to establish himself in Paris at a time when established French cabinetmakers vociferously opposed immigrant craftsmen arriving from Germany and other countries. About 1749 Baumhauer was made a *marchand-

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Date: about 1765–1770
Medium: Maple, mahogany, beech, and oak veneered with tulipwood, amaranth, ebony, and holly; gilt-bronze mounts; marble top
Culture: French
Department: Decorative Arts
Institution: Getty Museum

This type of cabinet is known as a *secrétaire à abattant*, or a fall-front desk. The top half of the front lets down to form a writing surface, revealing the drawers and pigeonholes within. *Secrétaires à abattant* are intended to stand against a wall, so the design of this secrétaire likely complimented the wood paneling of the room for which it was created. The bronze Greek key pattern around the top edge of the cabinet, the ridges mimicking columns on either side of the central panels, and the abundance of straight lines and geometric shapes demonstrate the Neoclassical style coming into fashion at this time.

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