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Boulle or Buhl, André Charles

Boulle or Buhl, André Charles (both: äNdrā' shärl bOOl) [key], 1642–1732, French cabinetmaker, the master of a distinctive style of furniture, much imitated, for which his name has become a synonym. In 1672 he was admitted to a group of skilled artists maintained by Louis XIV in the Louvre palace, and thereafter he devoted himself to creating costly furniture and objects of art for the king and court. Boulle's pieces, having in general the character of Louis XIV and régence design, were built for the immense formal rooms of the period. Boulle, a master of marquetry, specialized in the inlaying of ebony with precious woods and mother-of-pearl. Large areas were covered with tortoiseshell, inlaid with arabesques of gilded brass. He added splendid bas-relief compositions, as well as sculptured rosettes, masks, and acanthus scrolls, all in gilded bronze. Superb examples of his art exist at Versailles, Fontainebleau, and the Louvre and in England at Windsor Castle and in the Wallace Collection, London. The title cabinetmaker to the king passed to his four sons, Jean Philippe, Pierre Benoît, André Charles, and Charles Joseph.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Interior Design and Home Furnishings: Biographies

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Boulle at Blenheim: among the great treasures in the state rooms at Blenheim Palace is a collection of furniture by Andre-Charles Boulle, or in his manner, acquired by the Duke of Marlborough in the 1890s. In the second article on these unpublished pieces, Peter Hughes unravels their often complex history. (Apollo)

Boulle at Blenheim: Blenheim Palace's state rooms contain splendid furniture by Andre-Charles Boulle and in his manner, collected by the 9th Duke of Marlborough in the 1890s after his marriage to Consuelo Vanderbilt. In the first of two articles, Peter Hughes discusses these unpublished pieces in detail, and identifies those by Boulle himself.(Cover Story) (Apollo)

A connoisseur's eye: George Byng's boulle furniture: the politician George Byng was an astute collector, well-placed to take advantage of the art market after the Napoleonic wars. Charles Cator and Alexandre Pradere introduce a pair of coffers and a cabinet-on-stand bought by Byng, masterpieces that can be securely attributed to Andre-Charles Boulle. (Apollo)

Prepare to be Boulle-ed over: superb eighteenth-century furniture untouched by restorers, and most of it never published, is being sold by the Wildenstein family.(Art Market) (Apollo)

Antiques: tortoiseshell. (decorative material) (Interior Design)

Raising the bar: the first volume of the Getty Museum's sumptuous catalogue of its French furniture sets new standards of information and analysis.(French Furniture and Gilt Bronzes, Baroque and Regence: Catalogue of the J. Paul Getty Museum Collection)(Book review) (Apollo)

Setting the style; this section represents a joint effort by CALLIOPE magazine and the departments of Art of Europe and Conservation and Collections Management at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information about the MFA, check out its Web site at: www.mfa.org.(King Louis XIV's influence on art and fashion) (Calliope)

A table for Madame de Pompadour. (The Magazine Antiques)

French fashion at Petworth: although the 3rd Earl of Egremont is now best remembered as a major patron of Turner and other British artists, in his youth he had fashionable Francophile tastes. Peter Hughes examines the furniture he acquired at Petworth House, Sussex. (Apollo)

French furniture? Foreign artisans in Paris during the ancien regime. (The Magazine Antiques)

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