Cabinet
ca. 1700
Medium
Oak veneered with Macassar and Gabon ebony, ebonized fruitwood, burl wood, and marquetry of tortoiseshell and brass; gilt bronze
Dimensions
91-3/4 x 48 x 19 in. (233.0 x 121.9 x 48.3 cm)
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture
Culture
French, Paris
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.108
Art Historical Context
Step into the grandeur of Louis XIV's Versailles with this magnificent *Cabinet* by André Charles Boulle, around 1700 in Paris. nearly eight feet tall, this oak-veneered masterpiece showcases Boulle's signature opulence, using exotic Macassar and Gabon ebony, ebonized fruitwood, woods, and intricate gilt-bronze mounts. As the preeminent cabinetmaker to the Sun King, Boulle supplied furniture to the royal palaces, embodying the lavish Baroque style of the French court. At its heart is Boulle's revolutionary *boullework* marquetry, where thin sheets of tortoiseshell and brass are cut together a...