Description
Book SynopsisThis first major monograph on cabinetmaker Jean-Henri Riesener traces his life and career, bringing new insights into his business practice, designs and construction techniques. Jean-Henri Riesener (1734–1806) was one of the greatest French cabinetmakers of all time. From humble beginnings as a German immigrant in Paris, he found fame through the delivery of a magnificent roll-top desk to Louis XV in 1769. He went on to become Marie-Antoinette’s favourite cabinetmaker, supplying the queen and the court of Louis XVI with sumptuous furniture of superb quality. Renowned for his exquisite marquetry and refined designs, his pieces were ornamented with spectacular gilt-bronze mounts made by some of the greatest metalworkers in Paris. In the nineteenth century, Riesener’s name became associated with the very best of Louis XVI-period French furniture. His pieces continue to be highly sought after and are found in major museums worldwide. Based on the extensive collections of Riesener furniture in the Wallace Collection, Waddesdon Manor and the Royal Collection, the authors examine the objects and their history, and highlight the changing tastes of the nineteenth-century collectors who acquired so many former French royal pieces. The new illustrations and visual glossary add another important resource for art historians, decorative arts enthusiasts and furniture lovers.
Trade ReviewThe first serious Riesener monograph. -- Alexandre Pradère * The Art Newspaper *
This authoritative tome is both an enjoyable read as well as a scholarly compilation of original research [...] it is extremely refreshing to be presented with such a clearly written and entirely unapologetic celebration of one of the creative geniuses of the French eighteenth century. This publication would do Watson, Bellaigue and Verlet proud. More, please. -- Wolf Burchard * The Furniture History Society *
Table of ContentsThe Riesener, Oeben & Vandercruse families
THE CABINETMAKER Jean-Henri Riesener: a portrait sketch
Christian Baulez A German in Paris
Laura Langelüddecke Jean-Henri Riesener and the business of furniture-making
Carolyn Sargentson A question of language: the royal furniture administration’s accounts
Lindsay Macnaughton ‘Executed in the taste of painting’: Riesener’s marquetry designs
Mia Jackson Jean-Henri Riesener: the portraits
Juliet Carey THE COLLECTORS From Versailles to Windsor Castle: George IV and Riesener
Rufus Bird Alteration and appropriation: the 4th Marquess of Hertford and the taste for Riesener
Helen Jacobsen Riesener and the Rothschilds at Waddesdon Manor
Ulrich Leben Buying from Britain: the development of a new market
Daniëlle Kisluk-Grosheide THE FURNITURE Works in the Wallace Collection, the Royal Collection & Waddesdon Manor
THE MATERIALS & TECHNIQUES Materials and techniques
Jürgen Huber Visual glossary
Alexander Collins
