Cabinet
Appointed cabinetmaker to King Louis XIV in 1672, André-Charles Boulle became a master of furniture making in France during the late 1600s until his death in 1732. Known primarily for his use of marquetry, in which metal patterns are inlaid into tortoiseshell then applied within the veneered surface of the furniture, Boulle established a level of quality and craftsmanship few others could achieve. As a result, his work found favor at the royal court and among other aristocrats and diplomats eager to impress the king. The inclusion of a medallion depicting Louis XIV within the bronze decorat...
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Dimensions
- overall: height 1.013 m, width 1.176 m, depth 0.5 m
- Origin
- France, late 17th Century
- Department
- Decorative Art and Design
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- John L. Severance Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
12 tags
Artistic Disciplines
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Design Metadata · 98%
The Cleveland Museum of Art classifies the work as Furniture and woodwork and Decorative Art and Design.
Subject Matter
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Animals Both · 99%
A bird identified in the museum description as a parrot is clearly depicted in the central inlaid panel.
Styles and Movements
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Baroque Interpretive · 84%
The late-seventeenth-century French courtly context, monumental symmetrical structure, heavy cornice, scrolling ornament, and luxurious contrasting materials are consistent with Baroque design.
Visual Qualities
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Symmetrical Visual · 99%
The façade is organized around a central panel and medallion, with closely matched drawer banks and repeated ornament on both sides.
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Highly Ornamented Visual · 100%
The cabinet is densely covered with scrollwork, foliage, masks or faces, borders, medallions, and applied ornament.
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Patterns Visual · 98%
Repeated foliate scrolls, drawer ornaments, geometric frames, and border designs create a strongly patterned surface.
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Dark Colors Visual · 95%
The composition is dominated by black and dark brown surfaces, contrasted with lighter, reddish, and gold-toned decoration.
Time Periods
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17th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The museum dates the cabinet to circa 1690, with a catalog date range of 1685–1695.
Geographic Regions
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French Art Metadata · 99%
The place of origin is listed as France, and the artist is identified as French.
Materials
Furniture and Lighting
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Furniture Metadata · 100%
The catalog title is Cabinet and the object is classified as furniture and woodwork.
Source & rights
André-Charles Boulle (French, 1642–1732). Cabinet. Cleveland Museum of Art.