Writing Table with Tendril Marquetry of Tortoiseshell

Writing Table with Tendril Marquetry of Tortoiseshell, detail of gilt bronze mask

Writing Table

André-Charles Boulle (French, 1642–1732)

Dateca. 1710, with later alterations

MediumOak and walnut veneered with brass, turtle shell, ebony, and pewter; gilt bronze, leather

Dimensions31 3/4 × 74 1/4 × 36 7/8 in. (80.6 × 188.6 × 93.7 cm)

Credit LineHenry Clay Frick Bequest

Accession number1916.5.01

Commentary

The late seventeenth century saw the emergence of new types of furniture, many created by André-Charles Boulle. Boulle most likely invented the bureau plat (flat writing table), as it is known today. Previously, writing tables had been supported by eight legs and had several drawers on each side (see, for example, 1918.5.101). But around 1710, Boulle simplified the design by eliminating the drawers and reducing the number of legs to four. He also gave an elegant curve to the once-straight legs.

Source: Vignon, Charlotte. The Frick Collection Decorative Arts Handbook. New York: The Frick Collection/Scala, 2015.

Collection History

Duveen. Frick, 1916.

Source: Furniture in The Frick Collection: Italian and French Renaissance, French 18th and 19th Centuries (Pt. I). Volume V. New York: The Frick Collection, 1992.

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