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Pair of Pedestals

Creator

French Artist · 1642–1732

Maker

Christened by his contemporaries as "the most skillful artisan in Paris," André-Charles Boulle's name is synonymous with the practice of veneering furniture with marquetry of tortoiseshell, pewter, and brass. Although he did not invent the technique, Boulle was its greatest practitioner and lent his name to its common name: boulle work. Boulle also specialized in floral marquetry in both stained a

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Date: about 1700
Medium: Fir, oak and walnut veneered with ebony, dyed fruit wood (probably pear) brass and tortoise shell; gilt bronze mounts
Culture: French
Department: Decorative Arts
Institution: Getty Museum

These two octagonal pedestals have cupboard doors that open on one side to reveal hollow interiors. They were designed to display sculptures; from an auction catalogue of 1788, scholars know they have supported the same bronze figure groups that they support today. They would have stood in a formal reception room or salon. André-Charles Boulle, the man who perfected the distinctive technique of marquetry in tortoiseshell and brass, probably produced these elaborate stands. Boulle work was made of thin sheets of tortoiseshell and brass glued together and then cut into elaborate patterns. Areas of the stands not decorated with this marquetry were then veneered in ebony, while elaborate gilt bronze added to the lavish effect.

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