Boulle was so skilled at wood pictorial marquetry that he became known as a 'painter in wood', but it was his tortoiseshell and brass designs that established his reputation and made him a favourite among royalty and the aristocracy.
What is a Boulle cabinet?
Boulle work is a type of rich marquetry process or inlay perfected by the French cabinetmaker André Charles Boulle (11 November 1642 28 February 1732). It involves veneering furniture with tortoiseshell inlaid primarily with brass and pewter in elaborate designs often incorporating arabesques.
How is Boulle marquetry made?
Boulle marquetry is a distinctive form of this technique which involves placing hand-cut pieces of precious material such as tortoiseshell, brass, bone and pewter to achieve the wonderfully complex, intricate effect detailed above.
What is Boulle style?
Boulle's style is characterized by elaborate adornment with brass (occasionally engraved) and tortoiseshell marquetry. Although the technique of marquetry was originally used by 16th-century Italian craftsmen, Boulle developed it to a fine art. He incorporated exotic woods from India and South America.
What was Charles Boulle famous for?
André-Charles Boulle (11 November 1642 29 February 1732), le joailler du meuble (the "furniture jeweller"), became the most famous French cabinetmaker and the preeminent artist in the field of marquetry, also known as "inlay". Boulle was "the most remarkable of all French cabinetmakers".
How is marquetry done?
How Is It Done? Artists do marquetry by cutting, fitting and gluing pieces into a pre-planned pattern. The artist draws a pattern that identifies the shapes that will form the image and then chooses different types and colors of hardwood or other materials that he or she will use.