Boulle Marquetry Book-Case

Boulle Marquetry book-case made of ebony, tortoiseshell and brass. The marquetry is in first part, it presents a decoration of scrolls, foliage. The book-case lies on six feet formed by the base decorated by a brass thread echoing with the moulding cornice and panel on the sides, which are decorated whith this diamond-shaped brass thread. Opening by two leaves covered by a mesh, and lockable, the doors display five shelve. Each door has a bronze lock input.

Louis XIV Era

Use restoration, posterior mesh

Bookcases are directly inherited from cupboards, from which they take their shape. They are distinguished by the presence of a latticework, called "fil de richard" in the 17th century, which leaves what is stored there visible. Until the beginning of the 18th century, bookcases were rare, and inventories only mention them in small numbers. They were made of carved wood, or of wood or tortoiseshell marquetry, as is the case with the object of our study.
By allowing what is stored in them to be visible, the library quickly found a place of choice in the homes of these erudite men who liked to increase their knowledge while learning for all to see. The interest for the library has, over time, not been denied, since the decorator Jacques Garcia did not hesitate, for example, to exhibit some in his castle of Champs de Bataille.