Boullework

The intricate style of Marquetry  developed by André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732) decorated royal apartments and eventually shared his name. Born in Paris, Boulle trained as a cabinet-maker, an architect, a bronze worker, and engraver and obtained the privilege of lodging and working in the Louvre for Louis XIV. Under the king’s reign the royal residency was moved from the Louvre to the palace of Versailles, redeveloped from a hunting lodge. Boulle was responsible for many of the interior fittings and much of the elaborate boullework furniture at the palace of Versailles. As well as Louis XIV, his patrons included many French dukes, King Philip V of Spain, and the Electors of both Bavaria and Cologne.

 Boulle marquetry was usually of brass inlaid into a dark background of Tortoiseshell or ebony, or vice versa. Furniture, such as tables and chests, decorated with boullework was often made in pairs. The process of cutting out the materials for one set of designs, the première-partie, also produced an opposing set, the contre-partie. 

Boulle excelled at the marquetry, although he was not the only cabinet-maker developing this technique. The work of Jean Bérain influenced his later designs, and it is often difficult to tell the work of the two craftsmen apart. Bérain usually incorporated swirling scrolls (arabesques) alongside figural images. His designs also have a more fanciful element than those of Boulle, with small grotesques and monkeys amongst the scrolling patterns. Very few pieces of furniture can definitely be attributed to Boulle himself. The style was much imitated by 19th century French furniture-makers.

/http:/www.millersantiquesguide.com/