MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??249?
 2. The?Riesener?Secr?taire???Abattant????F302?
 ?
 Riesener?produced?a?large?number?of?secr?taire???abattants?for?the?French?Royal?household?
 during?his?10?years?of?his?service?to?them???51?in?total.96?While?Riesener?did?not?produce?a?
 ?Director??this?large?quantity?of?work?provides?enough?material?to?establishing?something?of?
 his?approach.??
 ?
 Furniture?historians?have?identified?a?set?of?eight?of?these?secr?taires?which?are?thought?be?
 early?work?for?Riesener?s?workshop?master?Oeben,?based?on?their?style?and?construction;?all?
 featured?detailed?marquetry?and?made?use?of?very?bold?and?elaborate?ormolu.97??However,?
 this?author?at?least?is?of?the?opinion?that?most?of?the?characteristics?exhibited?by?these?eight?
 examples?were?also?shared?by?almost?all?the?other?secr?taire???abattants?produced?by?
 Riesener?s?workshops???casting?doubt?on?this?group.???The?characteristics?that?were?of?nearly?
 all?known?works,?including?those?known?to?have?been?made?under?Oeben?s?supervision,?are?
 as?follows:???
 ?
 ? They?possess?a?structural?form?defined?by?five?different?components;?top,?top?drawer?
 section,?fall?front?or?abattant?section,?the?lower?storage?section?and?the?feet?/?stand.???
 ? Each?of?the?three?major?sections,?the?top?drawer,?the?fall?front?and?lower?storage?are?
 all?fitted?out?with?a?lock??with?a?double?action?and?dual?bolt?action.???
 ? The?top?was?of?almost?always?of?marble?(with?brass?or?ormolu?gallery)?which?sat?on?
 top?of?the?secr?taire?frame.98?
 ? The?abattant?section?consisted?of?a?number?of?open?compartments?or?pigeonholes?
 and?small?drawers?(each?with?a?drop?ring?handle?in?ormolu);?interior?surfaces?being?
 covered?with?black?Moroccan?leather.99??
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 96?See?Appendix?G:??Secr?taire???Abattant?by?Riesener?Mentioned?in?the?Garde?de?Meuble?(P.?616)?for?a?table?
 showing?the?number?of?secr?taire???abattants?produced?by?Riesener?s?workshop.??
 97?Peter?Hughes?also?mentioned?them?in?the?Wallace?Collection?Catalogue?that?he?produced.??
 98?There?is?one?known?example?of?a??Riesener??secr?taire?the?one?at?Versailles?that?does?not?have?this?feature???
 this?will?be?discussed?at?a?later?time?(See?section?on??Exceptions??starting?on?p.?316).?
 99?There?was?one?example,?the?Luton?Hoo?Secr?taire???abattant,?which?had?doors?over?each?of?the?
 compartments.??
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??250?
 ? The?lower?section?had?two?doors?(with?tongue?&?groove?edges)?which?opened?to?
 reveal?open?compartments,?drawers?and?a?safe?which?opened?with?a?separate?key.100?
 ? The?secr?taires?were?supported?on?bracket?feet,?decorated?with?ormolu.??
 ? The?secr?taires?were?characterised?by?canted?edges,?decorated?either?with?either?
 marquetry,?ormolu?or?a?combination?of?the?two.?
 ?
 Now?while?there?were?other?characteristics?common?to?several?pieces?of?furniture?which?will?
 be?discussed?later?in?this?section?(beginning?on?p.?212),?we?can?start?to?define?characteristics?
 that?help?us?identify?Riesener?s?work.?It?is?these?commonalities?for?example,?which?suggest?
 that?the?classification?of?the?eight?so?called?early?pieces?does?not?appear?logical.??One?of?
 these?in?particular???the?Michelham?secr?taire???is?significantly?smaller?than?the?others?and?of?
 a?different?structural?form,?making?it?very?problematic.?However,?if?the?size?of?the?frame?is?
 used?to?categorise?the?different???abattants?by?Riesener,?then?a?different?grouping?appears.??
 As?shown?in?Table?5?7,?there?is?a?group?of?nine?models?that?were?made?by?Riesener?s?
 workshops?that?have?approximately?the?same?dimensions?with?the?following?average?
 measurements???height?=?143.7,?width?=?112.2,?depth?=?45.2.101???
 ?
 These?are?the?models?set?out?in?Table?5?7?and?include?the?secretaires?from?the?following?
 places:?102???
 ? Rosebery??
 ? Luton?Hoo?
 ? Foutainieu?
 ? Bergsten?
 ? Guerault?
 ? Wallace?F300?
 ? New?York?Met?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 100?This?is?described?in?detail?later?in?this?chapter,?however,?this?is?essentially?a?method?of?closing?the?doors?
 more?securely?by?using?a?tongue?and?groove?joint?to?connect?the?two?doors?(See?page?277?for?more?details)?
 101?The?measurements?used?in?this?analysis?were?taken?from?different?sources?such?as?auction?sales?catalogues,?
 museum?catalogues,?etc.???Considering?the?probable?inaccuracies?and?inconsistencies?in?how?pieces?were?
 measured?a?small?(say?+/?2?cms)?is?expected.??Also,?such?decorative?variations?such?as?the?size?of?the?top?
 gallery,?the?thickness,?width?and?length?of?the?marble?could?contribute?further?to?small?differences.??As?a?result?
 a?narrow?range?of?measures?should?be?included.??
 102?See?Appendix?C?(p.?478)?for?more?details?about?each?piece?of?furniture.??
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 ?
 ??251?
 ? Waddesdon?Manor?
 ? Frick?Collection?
 ?
 While?the?basic?frame?of?these?nine?versions?is?near?identical,?they?vary?only?in?terms?of?
 minor?detail???feet?being?slightly?higher?or?lower,?the?galleries?slightly?different,?etc.?103??This?
 would?suggest?that?early?on?Riesener?saw?the?benefits?of?working?to?a?particular?template.?
 ?
 However,?if?this?is?the?case?then?F302?(See?Figure?5?37)?does?not?appear?to?fit!??It?does?share?
 most?of?the?characteristics?above;?namely?the?same?general?form?and?details?like?the?marble?
 top?with?ormolu?gallery,?etc.,?but?it?is?much?smaller?than?the?models?previously?listed.104???
 ?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 103?The?only?case?where?this?could?be?confirmed?was?the?case?of?F300?at?The?Wallace?Collection?and?the?
 secr?taire???abattant?at?Waddesdon?Manor?and?with?the?exception?of?a?slight?difference?in?height,?they?were?
 the?same?measurements.??However,?measurements?of?the?internal?sections?did?vary?between?the?two?pieces.??
 This?suggests?that?the?outside?sections?could?have?been?standardized?to?some?degree,?leaving?the?designer?free?
 to?adjust?the?internal?sections?as?needed.?
 104?Both?the?marquetry?and?the?ormolu?will?be?discussed?in?detail?in?separate?sections.??
 ?Figure?5?37:??Trellised?Marquetry?secr?taire???abattant?by?Riesener,?Wallace?Collection?inventory?numbered?
 F302,?with?the?sections?identified.?
 ?
 Top??
 Top?Drawer?Section.?
 Fall?Front?or?Abattant?
 Section.?
 Lower?Storage?Section.??
 Feet??
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 ?
 ??252?
 The?F302?is?139.7cm?tall,?which?is?(at?first?sight)?only?slightly?less?than?the?average?across?the?
 twenty?Riesener?secr?taires?(see?Table?5?7.)?included?in?this?survey?with?heights?varying?from?
 125cm.?to?147cm.?with?most?being?between?140cm.?to?144cm?making?F302?s.??However,?at?
 76.7cm?wide,?F302?was?not?only?a?narrow?secr?taire?in?terms?of?the?average?but?the?
 narrowest?of?all?known?secr?taire???abattants?produced?by?Riesener.???
 ?
 This?is?surprising?taking?into?account?the?fact?that?the?F302?was?made?for?Marie?Antoinette?
 for?use?at?her?favourite?residence,?the?Petit?Trianon;?earlier?secr?taire???abattants?made?for?
 Marie?Antoinette?like?the?F300?(made?for?Versailles)?were?somewhat?larger.??Since?the?
 specific?room?or?situation?into?which?F302?was?placed?is?not?known,?we?can?only?speculate?
 as?to?why?Marie?Antoinette?requested?another?secr?taire???abattant???if?indeed?this?was?the?
 case.?105???
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 105?There?were?several?reasons?that?one?could?speculate.??We?do?know?that?the?replacement?for?this?first?
 secr?taire???abattant??(F300)?was?smaller,?it?was?more?in?the??new?fashion??(simpler,?less?dramatic,?made?use?of?
 more?classical?motifs???more?in?the?Neo?Classical?mode.)?and?they?were?more?feminine.????However,?this?was?
 also?a?time?when?there?were?preasures?on?the?Royal?households?to?control?their?budgets.??The?Garde?Meuble?
 was?trying?to?reduce?household?expenses?and?he?saw?Riesener?s?pieces?as?too?expensive.??So?it?could?have?
 simply?been?that?cost?cutting?also?entered?into?the?design?considerations.??
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 ?
 ??253?
 ?
 Table?5???6?
 Riesener?Secr?taire???Abattant?Overall?Measurements?
 Compared?to?Similar?Riesener?and?Chippendale?Pieces?
 Item?
 Measured?
 Riesener?
 Secr?taire?
 (F302)?
 Avg???Other?
 Riesener?
 Secr?taire??
 Chippendale?
 Secr?taire??
 Comments?
 (Range)106?
 Overall?Measurements?
 Height? 139.7cm? 138.1cm? 136.0cm? Measures?are?very?inconsistent?
 across?the?other?Riesener?models?
 with?a?wide?range?of?heights?
 (129.7?to?143.7)?but?clustering?
 about?140cm.?
 Width? 76.7? 93.82? 82.0? Very?inconsistent?with?range?in?
 height?from?71.0?to?104.0.?
 Depth? 36.8? 38.56? 38.7? Very?consistent?ranging?from?36.8?
 to?39.6.?
 Top?(Above?Top?Drawer)?
 Height? 5.9cm? 5.4cm? 9.2cm? Inconsistent,?with?differences?
 depending?upon?the?gallery.??The?
 Chippendale?model?had?a?large?
 wooden?crown?instead?of?a?
 marble?top.??
 Top?Drawer?Section?
 Height?
 ?
 10.7? 10.8? 10.0? Again,?inconsistent?range?was?
 from?8.0?to?12.0.??
 Fall?Front?/?Abattant?Section?
 Height?
 ?
 55.7? 53.1? 48.8? Range?was?from?46.1?to?57.6.?
 Lower?Storage?Section?
 Height?
 ?
 47.8? 54.3? 51.0? Fairly?consistent?with?values?from?
 46.1?to?57.6.?
 Foot?/?Stand?
 Height?
 ?
 18.4? 14.6? 17.0? Consistent???ranging?from?13.6?to?
 18.4.?
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 106?Range?is?for?the??other??secr?taire???abattant?by?Riesener.???
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 ?
 ??254?
 Table?5???7?
 Overall?Measurements???Listed?Secr?taire???Abattants107?108?
 Name?of?Secr?taire?? Height? Width? Depth?
 Rosebery?? 142.2cm? 111.8cm? 44.5cm?
 Luton?Hoo?? 144.5? 114.0? 45.0?
 Foutainieu? 144.0? 111.5? 45.5?
 Bergsten? 144.0? 111.0? 47.0?
 Guerault? 144.0? 111.0? 47.0?
 Michelham? 125.8? 86.5? 39.5?
 Wallace?F300? 144.9? 112.0? 45.5?
 New?York?Met???Black?Lacquered? 144.8? 109.2? 40.6?
 Wallace?F303? 138.5? 98.8? 42.5?
 Wallace?F302? 139.6? 80.5? 42.0?
 Waddesdon?Manor? 142.1? 113.5? 48.1?
 Frick?Collection? 143.2? 115.5? 43.8?
 Maelrondt?Japanned?Secr?taire???
 Abattant??? 150.0? NA109? NA?
 Les?Arts?D?cratifs????Paris? 128.0? 74.0? 43.0?
 Galerie?Seqoura?Secr?taire? NA? NA? NA?
 Sotheby?s? 141.0? 87.0? 41.0?
 Huntington?? 147.0? 91.0? 44.5?
 Unknown? 130.0? 80.0? 40.0?
 Perrin?Gallery?? 143.0? 99.4? 44.5?
 Versailles?? 140.0? 102.0? 44.0?
 Les?Arts?D?cratifs?Lyon? 145.0? 94.0? 38.0?
 Lagerfield?Secr?taire???abattant.? 143.0? 104? 45?
 Average? 141.1? 99.7? 43.5?
 ?
 ?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 107?As?explained?in?Appendix?C,?these?measurements?were?taken?from?the?various?sources?that?listed?them?
 (either?sales?catalogues,?or?museum?listings)?and?do?vary?from?those?detailed?measurements?included?in?the?
 measurements?taken?above.?However?these?differences?are?very?slight?in?most?cases.??This?was?due?to?a?
 number?of?factors,?primarily?because?the?other?sources?were?just?trying?to?get?an?overall?size?(thus?they?
 measured?the?pieces?at?the?widest?points)?while?the?purpose?of?this?research?was?to?measure?the?structural?
 components.?While?one?cannot?be?100%?sure?of?all?the?numbers?to?which?there?are?not?any?new?direct?
 comparisons,?they?appear?to?be?consistent?with?other?measurements.?Furthermore,?in?those?cases?where?
 direct?comparisons?were?made;?the?numbers?also?appeared?fairly?consistent.??
 108?Those?entries?that?are?bold?and?in?shaded?areas?are?the?examples?that?were?studied?in?detail.?Those,?which?
 are?listed?with?Bold?and?Italics,?are?of?the?nine?versions?that?could?be?similar?in?basic?constructional?
 components.?
 109?NA?=?These?measures?were?not?available.??
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 ?
 ??255?
 It?is?interesting?to?note?in?passing?that?the?overall?measurements?of?Riesener?s?secr?taire???
 abattant,?F302,?compares?quite?closely?to?the?version?that?produced?by?Chippendale,?though?
 it?would?be?unwise?to?infer?any?connection?beyond?what?would?seem?to?be?Chippendale?s?
 close?interest?in?(and?understanding?of)?the?French?style.????
 ?
 As?with?nearly?all?of?the?secr?taire???abattants?from?Riesener?s?workshops,?the?top?of?F302?is?
 decorated?with?a?piece?of?marble?and?an?ormolu?gallery.??In?this?case?it?is?a?white?veined?
 Carrara?marble,?and?the?gallery?is?of?an?interwoven?circular?pattern?that?is?identical?to?that?
 used?on?F303,?the?Waddesdon?Manor?piece.?110??
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 110?This?was?a?variation?of?a?guilloche?pattern,?which?has?been?identified?and?classified?as?a?classical?decorative?
 element.??
 ?
 Figure?5?38:??Top?gallery?of?interwoven?circles?forming?a?type?of?enclosed?guilloche?pattern,?
 which?is?a?common?Neo?Classical?theme.?
 ? ?
 ?Figure?5?39:??Top?of?frame?of?the?Waddesdon?Manor?secr?taire???abattant.??The?left?picture?shows?the?front?of?the?
 frame?and?the?picture?on?the?right?shows?the?rear?joint.??
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??256?
 ?
 ?
 While?frame?of?F302?was?not?made?available?for?photographing,?there?have?been?pictures?
 taken?of?two?other?Riesener?secr?taire???abattants?which?show?this?same?construction???one?
 of?which?is?shown?in?Figure?5?39.??The?frame?itself?is?made?of?oak,?with?boards?held?together?
 with?mitred?corners.?Since?this?piece?was?made?at?approximately?the?same?time?as?the?F302,?
 ?
 Figure?5?40:?Top?view?showing?the?constructional?details?of?a?secr?taire???abattant?from?
 Roubo.?
 ?
 Additional?corner?
 pieces?
 ?
 ?Figure?5?41:??The?Top?Drawer?Section?pointing?out?where?the?drawer?pulls?are?embedded?with?in?the?scrolling?leaf?
 pattern.?(Taken?from?P.?Hughes,?The?Wallace?Collection?Catalogue?of?Furniture,?Vol?II,?p.?1002)?
 Drawer?Handle?
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??257?
 there?is?no?reason?for?them?to?differ.?However,?interestingly?enough,?it?should?be?pointed?
 out?that?this?way?of?making?the?top?frame?of?the?secr?taire???abattant?differs?from?that?
 illustrated?by?Roubo?which?show?the?additional?use?of?a?strengthening?corner?device?(see?
 Figure?5?40).?This,?of?course,?suggests?that?Riesener?had?a?way?of?constructing?frames?which?
 was?different?to?the?norm,?although?it?should?be?pointed?out?that?one?of?the?secr?taire???
 abattant?adopted?for?this?study?(the?
 example?from?Versailles)?made?use?of?
 a?frame?constructed?in?the?manner?
 shown?in?Roubo?s?text???this?will?be?
 discussed?in?greater?detail?later?in?this?
 chapter?(starting?on?p.?316).?
 ?
 The?Top?Drawer?section?of?the?F302?is?
 very?similar?in?form?to?others?Riesener?
 produced?with?a?single?drawer?
 extending?the?width?and?the?depth?of?
 the?secr?taire.??In?terms?of?its?size,?at?
 10.7cm?in?height?it?is?about?the?
 average.??In?this?regard,?Riesener?was?
 very?consistent,?only?4cm.?separating?the?largest?from?the?smallest?drawer?among?all?those?
 ?
 Figure?5?43:?Internal?view?of?the?Fall?Front?or?Abattant?Section?
 of?F302.??
 ?
 Figure?5?42:??Putti?with?Mercury?(left?hand?side???see?winged?cap.)?with?a?dog?and?a?book???all?before?an?alter?
 (far?Right)?This?Ormolu?was?used?on?several?different?Riesener?pieces?of?furniture.?(Note:?this?black?and?white?
 version?was?used?because?it?showed?the?details?much?clearer?than?colour?copies.)?
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??258?
 studied.??The?topmost?drawer?of?F302?is?decorated?with?a?plaque?of?putti?with?a?young?
 Mercury?located?to?the?left???see?Figures?5?41?&?5?42.??With?the?plaque?mounted?in?the?
 centre?of?the?topmost?drawer,?the?rest?is?covered?with?an?interwoven?ribbon?of?foliage?and?
 flowers?that?formed?a?circular?repeat?pattern.?The?drawer?handle?takes?the?form?of?an?
 outward?curving?ribbon?to?form?the?grip.?Above?the?drawer?sits?a?further?strip?of?ormolu?
 decorated?with?acanthus?leaves???a?further?indication?of?how?complicated?the?decoration?of?
 this?supremely?functional?piece?of?furniture,?consider?the?ormolu?above?the?drawer?is?a?strip?
 of?ormolu?forming?a?type?of?layered?acanthus?leaf?design.?111??On?each?canted?corner?sits?a?
 sprig?of?flowers?and?at?the?beneath?the?drawer?sits?is?an?ormolu?strip?of?bay?leaves?wrapped?
 in?ribbon!??All?of?this?ormolu?was?originally?set?against?a?background?of?green?stained?
 sycamore?and?purplewood,?with?edges?in?yellow?boxwood?and?black?ebony.112??
 ?
 The?fall?front?or?abattant?is?locked?with?a?twin?bolted;?double?throw?lock???these?locks?will?be?
 discussed?in?greater?detail?later?(See?p.278).??Behind?the?abattant,?sit?six?compartments?or?
 pigeonholes,?and?six?small?drawers?(see?Figure?5?43)?each?with?a?delicate?ring?pull?handle.??
 The?current?leather?top?is?a?green,?although?the?original?would?probably?have?had?either?a?
 black?Moroccan?leather?skiver?with?silver?tooling?or?a?skiver?of?black?velvet.113??This?door?
 opens?with?the?aid?of?a?counterweight?to?control?its?movement???see?Figure?5?44).??
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 111?P.?Hughes,?The?Wallace?Collection?Catalogue?of?Furniture,?Vol?II,?p.?998.?
 112?P.?Hughes,?The?Wallace?Collection?Catalogue?of?Furniture,?Vol?II,?p.?998.?
 113?See?Various?Authors,?Journal?du?Garde?Meuble,?1761?1784,?These?are?detailed?listings?of?all?furniture?that?
 was?either?delivered,?ordered?or?repaired?in?service?for?France's?Royal?Households.??Copies?are?located?in?The?
 Wallace?Collection?Library?and?are?available?in?France's?archives.??There?were?mentions?of?the?top?surface?of?
 several?of?Riesener?s?secr?taire???abattants?and?in?all?cases?but?two;?the?surface?was?covered?with?either?a?
 black?leather?or?velvet.??Furthermore,?most?of?these?were?of?leather?and?not?velvet.??The?two?exceptions,?
 mentioned?previously,?had?green?leather.??The?edges?were?probably?gold?but?were?occasionally?silver?
 embossing?was?mentioned.??
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 ?
 ??259?
 ?
 Internal?compartments?were?veneered?with?tulipwood,?purplewood?and?stringing?of?ebony?
 and?boxwood.??The?faces?of?the?drawers?use?the?same?exotic?veneers.?Framing?the?fall?front?
 and?the?side?panels?is?more?ormolu?with?a?waterleaf?design?around?the?outside?edge?and?a?
 pearl?repeat?on?the?inside?border.?
 ?
 Though?smaller?than?other?examples?by?Riesener,?the?formal?arrangement?of?the?F302?is?
 entirely?similar?to?his?other?secr?taires.??
 ?
 ?
 ?
 Bracket?with?counterweight?
 ?Figure?5?44:??Internal?structure?of?secr?taire???abattant?showing?how?the?fall?front?door?mechanism?works.?
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??260?
 ?
 Figure?5?45:?Canted?
 corner?of?F302?with?
 detailed?floral?ormolu.?
 The?central?plaque?is?an?interesting?choice.??First?of?all?Riesener?used?
 this?plaque?on?three?other?pieces?of?his?furniture;?one?on?another?
 secr?taire???abattant?which?is?also?in?The?Wallace?Collection?(F303)?and?
 on?a?secr?taire?on?stand?which?is?currently?in?the?J.?Paul?Getty?Museum?
 in?Los?Angeles???see?Appendix?C,?p.?478?(for?a?picture?of?the?plaque,?see?
 Figure?5?48).?114???In?addition,?this?plaque?is?featured?on?several?other?
 objects?(including?furniture,?clocks,?plaques)?that?were?produced?around?
 this?time.??The?plaque?is?based?on?a?sculpture?by?Claude?Michel;?better?
 known?as?Clodion.?115???There?are?three?titles?that?have?been?assigned?to?
 this?piece:??The?Sacrifice?to?Love,?The?Sacrifice?to?Cupid,?and?the?
 Invocation?to?Love?and?in?the?original?French,??L'offrande???l'Amour.??
 There?is?also?a?bas?relief?terra?cotta?version?of?this?sculpture?executed?
 by?Clodion?circa?1765?1768?which?is?thought?to?be?the?original,?currently?
 located?in?the?Mus?e?des?Beaux?Arts?in?Nancy.??
 ?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 114?There?are?some?questions?about?whether?or?not?Riesener?placed?these?plaques?on?these?pieces?of?furniture?
 ??especially?on?F303.?However,?it?seems?improbably?that?others?would?select?to?place?this?same?plaque?on?
 three?separate?Riesener?pieces.???
 115?Clodion?or?Claude?Michel?(1738?1814)?trained?in?Paris?first?under?his?uncle?and?later?under?Jean?Baptiste?
 Pigalle,?who?was?considered?one?of?the?more?popular?sculptors?of?the?time???as?Clodion?was?to?become.??Upon?
 recognizing?Clodion?s?skills, in?1759,?he?was?presented?with?the?Prix?de?Rome?by?which?allowed?him?to?study?in?
 Italy?where?he?learned?new?skills?(in?particular?how?to?work?in?terracotta)?and?in?the?classical?approaches?to?art?
 and?design.???Clodion's?was?so?skilled?that?it?was?reputed?that?his?pieces?were?purchased?before?they?were?
 finished.??He?gained?notoriety?among?the?courts?of?Europe?(It?was?suggested?that?Catherine?II?of?Russia?
 attempted?to?convince?Clodion?to?come?to?Russia?instead?of?returning?to?France.??However?in?1771,?Clodion?did?
 return?to?Paris?to?work?with?his?brothers?decorating?objects?such?as?candelabra,?clocks,?and?vases.?Drawing?
 primarily?from?pagan?antiquity,?he?created?light?hearted?terracotta?sculptures?that?epitomized?the?Rococo?
 style.?Late?in?his?life,?when?Neo?classial?works?were?more?popular,?Clodion?adjusted?his?style?and?worked?on?
 major?public?monuments?in?Paris.??
 ?
 For?further?information?on?this?artist?see?H.?Thirion,?Les?Adam?et?Clodion,?A.?Quantin,?Paris,?1885?which?
 provides?all?of?his?works?that?were?sold?between?1767?and?1884?and?A.?Jacquot,?Les?Adam?et?les?Michel?et?
 Clodion?,?Paris,?1898.?
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??261?
 The?lower?compartment?of?
 F302?has?two?doors?that?
 are?locked?with?a?separate?
 key.?Like?the?upper?half,?
 the?lower?half?is?also?
 decorated?with?tulipwood,?
 purplewood,?box?and?
 ebony.??The?doors?open?to?
 reveal?three?compartments?
 (one?extending?the?width?
 of?the?section?and?two?
 shorter?ones).?The?safe?(as?
 one?might?expect)?has?a?
 third?key?and?it?is?panelled?
 in?oak.?The?locks?and?the?
 doors?for?this?section?will?
 be?discussed?later?(See?p.?
 278).?
 The?ormolu?that?frames?
 each?door?and?the?side?
 panels?of?this?section?
 repeat?the?same?waterleaf?
 and?repeat?pearl?design?
 found?above.??Separating?
 the?upper?section?from?the?
 lower?one?is?a?
 comparatively?plain?strip?of?
 ormolu?running?across?the?
 front?and?sides.????
 ?
 ?
 Figure?5?46:??The?Lower?Storage?Section?of?F302,?with?the?two?doors?
 and?the?safe?opened??(taken?from?The?Wallace?Collection?Catalogue????
 P.?Hughes,?The?Wallace?Collection?Catalogue?of?Furniture,?Vol?II,?p.?
 1002).?
 ?
 Figure?5?47:??The?base?of?the?secr?taire???abattant?F302?by?Riesener.???
 ?
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??262?
 Typical?of?Riesener,?the?F302?secr?taire???
 abattant?sits?on?angled?bracket?feet?at?the?
 front?and?plainer?feet?to?the?rear,?with?ormolu?
 featuring?gadrooning,?ribbons?and?flowers,?
 finished?centre?front?with?a?cornucopia?of?
 flowers.?116??
 ?
 The?front?feet?are?very?interesting?in?terms?of?
 their?construction.??There?are?essentially?four?
 different?pieces?to?each?front?foot.??One?board?
 is?located?on?the?front?with?a?vertical?running?
 grain,?forming?the?face?of?the?canted?corner?
 to?which?the?ormolu?is?attached?by?means?of?a?
 bolt.???Either?side?sit?two?flanking?faces?with?
 their?grain?running?horizontal?to?the?floor.??
 Behind?all?of?this?sat?a?reinforcing?piece?of?
 wood,?glued?onto?the?back?of?the?face?board?to?help?buttress?the?joints?between?the?three?
 other?pieces?of?wood.??It?was?not?clear?to?this?author?if?there?was?more?to?this?construction?
 than?what?was?easily?visible?(such?as?small?tenon?joints?or?hidden?dovetails)???though?x?rays?
 would?confirm?whether?any?such?device?was?used???see?Figure?5?49.?
 ?
 ?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 116?The?most?typical?gadrooning?pattern?has?rounded?edges.??This,?however,?has?sharp,?square?edges,?however?
 it?is?a?repeated?expanding?pattern?like?most?gadrooning.???
 Figure?5?48:??Plaque?matching?the?one?on?the?
 front?centre?of?F302,?titled??Sacrifice?to?Love??
 by?Clodion.?
 ?
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??263?
 There?were?a?total?of?seven?drawers?in?F302???two?sets?of?three?behind?the?abattant,?and?
 one?in?the?full?width?top?drawer.??All?were?made?of?oak?with?the?grain?of?the?sides?and?back?
 running?lengthwise?and?the?top?edge?of?each?drawer?with?a?flat?profile.???The?drawers?behind?
 the?fall?front?were?very?of?equal?size?and?thus?were?measured?once.117.??The?charts?that?
 follow?present?the?summary?statistics?about?the?drawers.??Please?note?that?while?a?
 mathematical?average?was?shown?for?other?examples?of?Riesener?s?secr?taire???abattants,?
 they?do?not?tell?the?full?story.?Riesener?had?not?at?this?time?developed?uniformity?across?the?
 different?secretaries?which?suggests?that?Riesener?s?workshop?was?not?operating?a?kind?of?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 117?On?one?secr?taire???abattant,?F303,?there?were?some?inconsistencies?in?the?work?that?was?done.??This?
 concerned?the?angles?for?some?of?the?rear?dove?tails?which?seemed?to?vary?more?that?experienced?on?other?
 secr?taire???abattants.?Their?range?was?between?72??and?82?.??It?should?be?pointed?out?that?these?were?still?
 very?good?quality?cuts,?there?were?no?noticeable?gaps?between?the?different?pieces?of?wood,?nor?were?the?
 angles?extremely?different?from?Riesener?s?standard?and?on?average?they?were?still?less?than?those?used?by?
 Chippendale?s?workshop.????
 Figure?5?49:??The?underside?of?the?stand?for?F300?(left)?and?a?drawing?showing?how?it?was?constructed?on?the?
 right.?All?of?the?grain?for?these?pieces?of?wood?runs?perpendicular?to?the?ground.??
 ?
 ?
 ?
 Canted?
 corner?Front?of?base?
 Side?of?base?
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??264?
 type?of?sequential?or?batch?production.118??There?are?some?interesting?comparisons?to?be?
 made?with?the?work?of?the?Chippendale?though.??First?and?foremost,?Riesener?s?dovetails?are?
 both?wider?and?cut?at?a?lower?angle?when?compared?to?Chippendale?s??see?Appendices?D,?E,?
 and?F?for?full?details.??The?next?point?is?that?the?oak?that?was?used?for?the?sides,?back?and?
 bottom?of?the?drawers?was?thicker?on?Riesener?s?work?than?on?Chippendale?s.119???
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 118?With?Riesener?s?workshops?producing?so?many?of?these?secr?taire???abattant,?one?way?to?make?his?work?
 easier,?faster?and?more?economical,?would?be?to?do?things?like?plane?and?cut?a?number?of?boards?at?the?same?
 time?then?just?cutting?the?lengths?that?you?would?need?for?a?particular?situation.??Setting?up?very?standard?
 measurements?for?dovetails?and?the?sizes?of?drawer,?etc.??
 119?One?exception?to?this?was?the?Versailles?case,?where?the?drawer?components?were?generally?thinner?than?
 for?the?other?Riesener?examples???this?will?be?discussed?later?(See?section?on?Exceptions,?p.?316).??
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??265?
 ?
 Table?5?8?
 Riesener?s?Secr?taire???Abattant?F302?
 ????Thickness?of?Drawers120?
 Item?
 Measured?
 F302? Average?Other?
 Secr?taire???
 Abattant?
 Comments?
 Top?Drawer?
 Front?
 ?
 18.5mm? 20.2mm?
 Sides?
 ?
 13.0? 10.0?
 Back?
 ?
 12.0? 9.4?
 Bottom?
 ?
 11.0? 7.2?
 There?was?little?consistency?across?
 the?different?cases?on?this?
 measure,?for?example?the?
 thickness?of?the?front?varied?from?
 18.0mm?to?23.0.??Note?that?the?
 piece?at?Versailles?had?the?
 thinnest?pieces?on?this?drawer.??
 Abattant?Section?Drawers?
 Front?
 ?
 18.5? 20.2?
 Sides?
 ?
 13.0? 10.0?
 Back?
 ?
 7.5? 7.8?
 Bottom?
 ?
 11.0? 7.0?
 Again,?there?was?little?consistency?
 across?the?other?cases.??
 ?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 120?All?measurements?are?in?millimetres?unless?otherwise?indicated.??As?indicated?before?the?measurements?for?
 similar?drawers?in?other?pieces?were?not?always?available?and?hence?were?not?presented?in?this?formal?of?an?
 approach.??
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??266?
 ?
 Table?5?8?
 Riesener?s?Secr?taire???Abattant?F302?
 ????Drawer?Measurements121?
 Item?
 Measured?
 F302? Average?Other?
 Secr?taire???
 Abattant?
 Comments?
 Top?Drawer?
 Depth?
 ?
 339mm? 367mm?
 Width?
 ?
 583? 785?
 Height?
 ?
 78? 80?
 The?height?was?very?consistent?
 across?the?different?models?
 except?for?the?example?at?
 Versailles?(9.8mm).?Depth?and?
 width?showed?variability.????
 Abattant?Section?Drawers?
 Depth?
 ?
 287? 329?
 Width?
 ?
 159? 220?
 Height?
 ?
 52? 62?
 Again,?there?was?little?
 consistency?across?the?other?
 cases.?
 ?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 121?All?measurements?are?in?millimetres?unless?otherwise?indicated.??As?indicated?before?the?measurements?for?
 similar?drawers?in?other?pieces?were?not?always?available?and?hence?were?not?presented?in?this?formal?of?an?
 approach.??
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??267?
 ?
 Table?5?9?
 Riesener?s?Secr?taire???Abattant?F302?
 ??Dove?Tail?Measurements122?
 Item?
 Measured?
 F302? Average?Other?
 Secr?taire???
 Abattant?
 Comments?
 Top?Drawer?
 Front?Dove?Tails?
 Width?(mm)?
 ?
 NA? 12.1?
 Length?(mm)?
 ?
 NA? 12.5?
 Angle?(degrees)?
 ?
 NA? 78.5?
 Many?examples?of?Riesener?s?Top?
 Drawers?did?not?expose?any?front?
 dovetails,?because?there?was?an?
 overhang?on?the?side123.??
 Back?Dove?Tails?
 Width?(mm)?
 ?
 8.8? 7.5?
 Length?(mm)?
 ?
 12.0? 9.0?
 Angle?(degrees)?
 ?
 71? 76.6?
 Inconsistent?across?other?cases.?
 Abattant?Section?Drawers?
 Front?Dove?Tails?
 Width?(mm)?
 ?
 6.5? 10.3?
 Length?(mm)?
 ?
 7.0? 9.8?
 Angle?(degrees)124?
 ?
 73? 77.8?
 Inconsistent?across?other?cases.?
 Back?Dove?Tails?
 Width?(mm)?
 ?
 5.0? 7.1?
 Length?(mm)?
 ?
 7.3? 7.7?
 Angle?(degrees)?
 ?
 71? 77.5?
 Inconsistent?across?other?cases.?
 ?
 ?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 122?Width?is?in?mm?while?the?angle?is?in?degrees.??As?before?some?judgements?were?made?as?to?the?
 appropriateness?of?the?comparisons.???
 123?The?two?exceptions?to?this?were?the?two?that?were?identified?as?unusual?examples?of?Riesener?s?works.??
 These?were?the?example?at?Mus?e?des?Arts?D?coratifs?in?Paris?and?the?other?is?the?model?at?Versailles.??
 124?The?angles?for?the?dovetails?for?F303?were?not?included?because?they?were?too?inconsistent?to?be?
 considered?reliable.??
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??268?
 Another?interesting?comparison?between?Riesener?and?Chippendale?can?be?found?in?how?the?
 bottom?of?a?drawer?was?fixed.?Chippendale?made?use?of?a?rebate;?the?bottom?being?slid?in?
 from?the?front?and?held?in?the?rebate?cut?into?the?sides.??A?thin?strip?of?wood?was?than?glued?
 and?pinned?to?hold?the?bottom?in?place.??Riesener?on?the?other?hand,?cut?a?groove?across?the?
 sides?and?the?front?then?slide?the?bottom?into?place.??Riesener?used?thicker?piece?of?oak?for?
 the?bottom?than?would?fit?into?the?groove,?canted?the?edges?to?enable?them?to?fit?into?the?
 rebates???see?Figure?5?50.???
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??269?
 ?
 ?
 Figure?5?51:?Examples?of?typical?dovetails?on?secr?taire???abattants?produced?in?Riesener?s?workshops.??Front?
 dovetails?are?shown?on?the?left?and?back?dovetails?on?the?right?(Taken?from?small?drawers?behind?the?fall?front?
 on?the?secr?taire???abattant?at?Waddesdon?Manor.)??
 Figure?5?50:??On?the?left?is?a?picture?of?the?bottom?of?the?drawer?for?a?typical?Chippendale?piece?(this?one?is?
 of?the?Harewood?Library?Table,?upper?side?drawer)?and?the?picture?on?the?right?is?a?typical?drawer?from?the?
 Riesener?workshop?(this?one?is?from?the?Waddesdon?Manor?Secr?taire???abattant?drawers?that?are?located?
 behind?the?abattant.??
 ?
 ?
 Rebate?in?side?of?
 drawer?
 Additional?strip?of?wood?to?
 hold?bottom?in?place?
 Curved?Rebate?on?
 bottom?piece?
 Groove?cut?in?
 side?of?drawer?
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??270?
 125?In?the?F302?there?were?also?two?
 different?types?of?drawers?and?
 therefore?two?different?types?of?
 drawer?cavities;?typical?of?Riesener.?
 The?top?drawer?is?cased?in?oak?but?
 has?an?unusual?removable?back?
 panel?which?will?be?discussed?later?
 in?this?chapter?(See?p.?314).?While?
 the?sides?are?a?combination?of?an?
 oak?strip?that?runs?along?the?
 bottom?of?the?cavity?and?a?piece?of?
 oak?at?the?entrance?that?stands?
 perpendicular?to?the?bottom,?
 together?with?a?strip?of?
 purplewood?used?to?protect?the?
 sides?from?wear?by?providing?a?
 hard?and?slightly?oily?surface?for?
 the?drawer?to?slide?past?(See?Figures?5?52?&?5?53)??
 not?all?pieces?of?Riesener?had?this?strip.??This?
 device?was?also?evident?in?the?cavities?that?were?
 used?for?the?other?drawers?on?F302???including?
 those?inside?the?Abattant?Section?seen?in?Figure?5?
 52.???
 ?
 There?were?also?other?differences?to?be?observed?
 in?terms?of?the?approach?to?drawer?construction.?
 First?was?the?lack?of?any?drawer?stops?on?F302?or?
 any?other?Riesener?piece.??In?all?cases,?Riesener?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 125?Note?that?these?pictures?were?the?best?quality?pictures?to?show?at?this?point.??The?drawer?bottoms?and?the?
 dovetails?on?F302?were?identical?in?nature?to?these.??See?Appendix?D?and?E?for?detailed?photographs?of?all?of?
 the?Riesener?pieces.??
 ?
 Figure?5?52:??Inside?the?drawer?cavity?for?F302,?the?Top?Drawer?
 Section.???
 ?
 Figure?5?53:??Inside?drawer?cavity?for?the?drawers?that?
 are?behind?the?abattant?of?F302.?Notice?the?strip?of?
 Rosewood?that?lines?the?bottom?side?walls.?
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??271?
 used?the?length?of?the?drawer?to?determine?when?it?would?stop.??Interestingly?enough,?there?
 were?two?examples?where?this?did?not?work?properly?and?someone?had?added?a?piece?of?
 veneer?or,?in?one?case,?a?small?piece?of?wood?to?the?back?of?the?drawer?by?way?of?
 adjustment.126???
 ?
 Marquetry:?The?primary?marquetry?
 employed?by?Riesener?was?what?is?
 called?a?fret?or?trellis?marquetry?with?
 water?lily?design?which?consists?of?
 cross?hatching,?filled?in?with?a?water?
 lily.127??This?pattern?is?not?only?found?
 on?the?F302?and?several?other?
 secr?taire???abattant?but?also?on?other?
 items?of?Riesener?furniture?such?as?the?
 commode?currently?housed?in?the?
 Frick?Collection,?New?York.128?Riesener?
 made?this?in?1776?for?Marie?Antoinette?
 ??see?Figure?5?54.?129?Another?commode?with?the?same?trellis?marquetry?made?somewhere?
 between?1782?and?1788?is?currently?to?be?found?in?the?Frick?Collection.130?Yet?another?
 commode?decorated?in?the?same?way?is?to?be?found?in?The?Wallace?Collection?(F247).?This?
 was?made?in?1780?for?the?cabinet?int?rieur?in?Versailles?of?Marie?Antoinette,?together?with?a?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 126?In?the?case?of?the?veneer?(F303),?it?could?be?that?this?was?added?at?a?later?time?to?adjust?slightly?for?some?
 shrinkage?or?wear.??In?the?case?of?the?wood?(F300)?it?is?not?likely?that?the?drawer?either?shrank?or?wore?off?that?
 much?(it?was?approximately?1.5?cm?wide)?and?must?have?been?added?at?Riesener?s?workshop.???
 127?A.?Pradere?refers?to?these?flowers?as?sunflowers,?while?in?the?Wallace?Collection?catalogue?these?are?
 referred?to?as?water?lilies.??In?this?text?water?lilies?will?be?the?name?used.?
 128?See?Appendix?C:??Overview?of?Secr?taire???Abattant?by?Riesener?and?Chippendale.????
 129?A.?Pradere?(Translated?by?P.?Wood),?French?Furniture?Makers,?The?Art?of?the?Ebeniste?from?Louis?XIV?to?the?
 Revolution,?p.?376.??
 130?See?Riesener?Commode?with?Trellis?Marquetry,?Art?Images?Website?
 http://amica.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/AMICO~1~1~119042~46385:Commode?with?Pictorial?and?
 Trellis?
 ?sort=INITIALSORT_CRN%2COCS%2CAMICOID&qvq=q:AMICOID=TFC_.19155076+;sort:INITIALSORT_CRN,OCS,
 AMICOID;lc:AMICO~1~1&mi=0&trs=1,?accessed?12?2009.?
 ?
 Figure?5?54:?Commode?made?with?a?trellis?and?water?lily?
 design?for?Marie?Antoinette?showing?many?of?the?similar?
 design?elements?as?F302?such?as?the?detailed?floral?
 marquetry,?the?cornucopia?at?the?bottom?centre?and?the?
 trophy?surround.?
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??272?
 matching?small?table?made?in?1782.131??
 Careful?examination?of?the?marquetry?
 reveals?that?it?was?most?likely?cut?with?a?
 fret?saw?of?some?type?and?not?a?knife?and?
 that?the?background?was?cut?drawn?and?
 cut?after?the?flower?had?been?pieced?
 together.??As?with?the?decorative?elements?
 found?in?the?marquetry?design?of?
 Chippendale?s?Harewood?table,?this?kind?
 of?repetition?lends?itself?to?the?use?of?
 some?type?of?serial?production,?although?
 evidence?is?difficult?to?trace.132??Perhaps?
 the?full?chevalet?de?marqueterie?with?the?
 arm?had?not?been?invented?at?this?time?
 although?Roubo?s?illustrations?suggest?
 some?kind?of?fret?saw?and?clamp?was?
 employed???see?Figure?5?34.??However,?
 this?is?countered?by?observations?recently?
 made?on?F300?by?Y.?Chastang?and?E.?Tollfree,?indicating?that?a?knife?was?used?to?cut?the?
 veneers.?133??Interestingly?enough,?there?is?no?evidence?of?knives?used?on?the?surface?of?the?
 veneers?of?F302,?making?for?a?curious?anomaly?and?suggesting?more?research?is?required?in?
 this?area.134?
 ?
 In?terms?of?marquetry?design?(as?opposed?to?technique)?Riesener?was?undoubtedly?inspired?
 by?his?teacher?Oeben?who?also?made?frequent?use?of?repetitive?geometric?and?floral?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 131?A.?Pradere?(Translated?by?P.?Wood),?French?Furniture?Makers,?The?Art?of?the?Ebeniste?from?Louis?XIV?to?the?
 Revolution,?p.?374.?
 132?As?with?Chippendale?s?piece,?this?was?based?on?the?searching?for?repetitions?of?small?errors?in?cutting?out?of?
 the?water?lilies?and?there?were?none?that?were?found.??
 133?Y.?Chastang?and?E.?Tollfree,?Fit?for?a?Queen,?Apollo?Magazine,?Vol?512,?pp.?57?63.?
 134?When?a?knife?is?used?to?cut?the?veneer,?the?fibres?at?the?edge?of?the?design?would?show?that?they?were?
 pressed?down,?while?saw?cuts?would?not?cause?this.??There?was?no?evidence?of?this?based?on?a?careful?but?non?
 magnified?inspection?of?F302.??Of?course?the?only?way?to?be?sure?of?this?would?be?a?very?detailed?magnified?
 record?of?the?surface?of?this?piece?or?an?inspection?of?the?wood?underneath?the?veneer.?
 ?
 Figure?5?55:?The?side?of?the?Michelham?secr?taire.?
 Which?shows?a?variation?of?the?idea?of?a?trellised?
 floral?design?by?Riesener.??
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??273?
 patterns?not?unlike?those?found?in?F302.135??While?there?is?no?evidence?to?corroborate?it,?
 some?authorities?believe?that?Riesener?produced?panels?of?patterns?to?be?used?later?in?
 suitable?pieces.136??Repeat?design?would?be?perfect?for?this?practice?and?might?explain?why?
 so?many?pieces,?were?decorated?with?the?same?pattern?of?marquetry.137??
 ?
 Ormolu:??Almost?all?of?Riesener?s?ormolu?designs?were?taken?from?classical?sources?and?the?
 the?following?chart?summarizes?the?information?on?the?ormolu?used?on?F302,?describing?the?
 design,?identifying?its?source?and?detailing?examples?where?Riesener?used?specific?design?
 elements?on?other?pieces.???
 Table?5?10?
 Designs?of?Ormolu?
 Location?of?
 Ormolu?
 Description/Design? Examples?of?other?furniture?with?
 Same?Design?
 Top?Gallery? Interlocking?Circles?or?Guilloche?design???
 Roman??
 'The?Fontanieu??Secr?taire???abattant,?
 Small?table?circa?1780138??
 Border?between?
 Top?Gallery?&?
 Top?Drawer?
 Section?
 ?
 Layered?acanthus?leaf?pattern???very?often?
 used?in?Neo???Classical?designs?originally?
 ancient?Greek.??
 Black?Lacquered?commode?and?secr?taire???
 abattant?at?the?New?York?Met.?
 Centre?of?Top?
 Drawer?Section?
 Scrolling?foliage?of?acanthus?leaves?with?
 ribbons?&?flowers?in?the?centers?of?circles.??
 This?is?frequently?used?in?Neo?Classical?
 designs.??
 ?
 Corner?cupboard?(encoignure)?by?Riesener?
 in?1783?for?the?cabinet?int?rieur?in?
 Versailles?of?Marie?Antoinette139??
 Centre?of?Top?
 Drawer?Section?
 ?
 Plaque?of?putti?with?an?infant?Mercury?
 based?on?Roman?myths.?
 F303?Secr?taire???abattant,?Maelrondt?
 Japanned?Secr?taire.??
 Corner?at?Top?
 Drawer?Section?
 ?
 A?festoon?of?flowers?that?appear?to?be?a?
 bunch?attached?to?the?corner.?
 Maelrondt?Japanned?Secr?taire???Abattant.?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 135?Leleu,?who?was?also?a?prot?g??of?Oeben,?also?made?use?of?this?type?of?design?in?his?furniture,?as?did?others?
 that?had?close?ties?to?Riesener?such?as?Roger?Vandercruse.???
 136?G.?Bellaigue,?The?James?A.?De?Rothschild?Collection?at?Waddesdon?Manor???Furniture,?Clocks?and?Gilt?Bronze?
 Vol?1&?2,?Office?du?Livre,?S.?A.?Fribourg,?SA,?1974,?p.?20.?
 137?The?production?of?large?panels,?which?then?could?be?cut?to?size,?was?a?technique?that?was?practiced?in?other?
 named?workshops?such?as?A?C.?Boulle,?J?F.?Oeben.??Both?of?these?cabinetmakers?had?large?panels?in?their?
 inventories?at?various?times?in?their?career.?Another?method?of?obtaining?repetitive?patterns?was?to?
 subcontract?the?work?to?other?shops?who?specialized?in?producing?marquetry?patterns??
 138?No?Author?Given,?Sotheby's?On?Line?Catalogue,?Riesener?table?sold?Lot?25,?08???July???08,?part?of?the?Dimitri?
 Mavrommatis?Collection,?sold?in?London.??Accessed?on?line?at?
 http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?lot_id=159465109?on?12?2009.?
 139??Currently?in?The?Wallace?Collection?(F275),?see?P.?Hughes,?The?Wallace?Collection?Catalogue?of?Furniture,?
 Vol?II,?pp.?896?901.?
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 ?
 ??274?
 Table?5?10?
 Designs?of?Ormolu?
 Location?of?
 Ormolu?
 Description/Design? Examples?of?other?furniture?with?
 Same?Design?
 Border?between?
 Top?Drawer?and?
 Fall?Front?
 Sections?
 ?
 Repeated?overlapping?leaf?and?berry?
 design.??This?was?identified?as??bay??leaves?
 in?Adam?s?Glossary?of?Neo?Classical?
 designs140.??
 Maelrondt?Japanned?Secr?taire???Abattant.?
 Centre,?front?of?
 the?Fall?Front?
 door.?
 ?
 Frame?for?the?plaque?L'offrande???l'Amour?
 of?flowers?(roses,?pinks,?lilies??of?the?
 valley?and?narcissi?as?well?as?some?other?
 unidentified?flowers),?foliage?and?ribbons?
 that?tie?different?bundles?together.??
 ?
 See?Appendix?C,?page?453,?Maelrondt?
 Japanned?Secr?taire???Abattant?or?the?
 Secr?taire?on?stand?on?page?457.?
 Centre,?front?of?
 the?Fall?Front?
 door.?
 ?
 Plaque?of?L'offrande???l'Amour?or?Sacrifice?
 to?love?based?on?Roman?mythology.?
 Found?on?at?least?two?other?pieces:??
 secr?taire???abattant?on?stand?at?the?
 Getty141,?F303?at?The?Wallace?Collection.?
 Borders?around?
 Panels?on?Fall?
 Front?and?Lower?
 Storage?Section?
 Smooth?ormolu?with?a?repetitious?leaf?
 pattern?emanating?on?one?side?and?a?
 string?of?circular?beads?on?the?other.?This?
 is?referred?to?as?a?Waterleaf?design?with?
 pearl?design.???
 ?
 F303,?Corner?cupboard?(encoignure)?by?
 Riesener?in?1783?for?the?cabinet?int?rieur?in?
 Versailles?of?Marie?Antoinette?(F275).?
 Corner?at?Fall?
 Front?Section?
 Dropping?Acanthus?leaf?draped?with?a?
 floral?and?foliage?wreath.?
 F303,?New?York?Met???Black?Lacquered?
 Secr?taire,142?Maelrondt?Japanned?
 Secr?taire.143?
 Border?between?
 Lower?Storage?
 Section?and?Feet?
 This?was?a?variation?of?a?basic?gadrooning?
 pattern?that?was?originally?used?in?ancient?
 Greece.??In?this?case,?the?edges?are?
 squared?and?flowers?fill?the?gaps.??
 ?
 F303,?Maelrondt?Japanned?Secr?taire,?
 Corner?cupboard?(encoignure)?by?Riesener?
 in?1783?for?the?cabinet?int?rieur?in?
 Versailles?of?Marie?Antoinette?(F275).?
 Corners?of?the?
 Feet?
 ?Flowers,?acanthus?leaves?and?ribbons?
 draping?over?the?feet?from?large?rosette?at?
 the?line?between?the?Feet?and?the?Lower?
 Storage?Section.?
 ?
 No?others?found?that?were?exactly?like?this,?
 but?a?number?were?very?similar.??
 Front?and?
 Centre?of?Feet?
 Cornucopia?with?flowers,?coins,?medals,?
 fruit?leaves,?ribbons?&?coronet.??Flowers?
 include?roses,?pinks,?narcissi?&?lilies?of?the?
 valley144.?
 New?York?Met???Black?Lacquered?Secr?taire?
 ??abattant,?Commode?made?for?Marie?
 Antoinette?(See?Appendix?C,?page?454).?
 ?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 140?M.?Gerson,?A?Glossary?of?Robert?Adam's?Neo?Classical?Ornament,?Architectural?History,?Vol?24,?1981,?p.?62.?
 141?See?Appendix?C:??Overview?of?Secr?taire???Abattant?by?Riesener?and?Chippendale?and?P.?Remington,?A?
 Commode?and?a?Secretary?by?Riesener,?Metropolitan?Museum?Studies,?The?Metropolitan?Museum?of?Art,?NY,?
 Vol?I,?1928?1929,?1929,?pp.?49?66.?
 142?P.?Remington,?A?Commode?and?a?Secretary?by?Riesener,?pp.?49?66.?
 143??On?the?Maelrondt?Japanned?Secr?taire???Abattant?the?foliage?that?extends?beyond?the?acanthus?leaf?has?
 been?removed,?however?the?rest?of?it?looks?the?same?as?on?the?other?listed?pieces.??
 144?P.?Hughes,?The?Wallace?Collection?Catalogue?of?Furniture,?Vol?II,?p.?1001?
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??275?
 ?
 Two?points?are?evident?from?the?evidence?tabled?above;?firstly,?almost?all?of?the?ormolu?
 followed?classical?precedent?(either?Greek?or?Roman)?and?secondly,?Riesener?made?repeated?
 use?of?these?design?elements?on?his?furniture.??Interestingly?enough?though?(and?not?shown?
 in?this?chart)?at?one?point?in?Riesener?s?career,?he?switched?from?a?more?traditional?stylised?
 expression,?to?one?which?made?use?of?detailed?and?very?realistic?depiction?of?flowers?and?
 foliage.??There?have?been?numerous?debates?concerning?who?the?author?of?these?new?
 designs?might?have?been???and?which?can?be?seen?on?F302.?In?fact?there?are?five?different?
 schools?of?thought?concerning?this?new?aesthetic:???
 ?
 o They?were?made?in?Riesener?s?own?workshops.?
 o Riesener?used?the?same?fondeurs?ciseleurs?as?for?his?earlier?pieces?for?the?
 Bureau?du?Roi.?
 o They?were?produced?by?Pierre?Gouthi?re?(1740???1806)?
 o They?were?produced?by?Pierre?Philippe?Thomire?(1751???1843)?
 o They?were?produced?by?Fran?ois?R?mond?(1747?1812).???
 ?
 Because?of?the?status?which?allowed?him?to?operate?outside?the?guilds,?Riesener?could?have?
 produced?these?pieces?in?his?own?workshop,?although?there?is?no?evidence?that?he?did.??For?
 his?first?piece?for?Louis?XV?(the?Bureau?du?Roi),?Riesener?used?a?team?of?5?different?people?
 (four?were?fondeurs?ciseleurs?and?one?was?known?to?be?a?designer)?to?work?for?the?Bureau?
 du?Roi.?145?146??For?two?reasons?it?is?unlikely?that?anyone?in?this?group?were?responsible?for?
 this?new?ormolu?work.??First?of?all?it?had?been?20?years?since?these?people?had?worked?with?
 Riesener,?secondly?the?style?was?so?very?different.??While?the?ormolu?on?the?Bureau?du?Roi?
 was?in?a?bold?rococo?style,?the?work?on?F302?is?delicate,?subtle?and?naturalistic147.???By?
 contrast,?both?Gouthi?re?and?Thomire?produced?a?similarly?detailed?and?naturalistic?styles?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 145?P.?Remington,?A?Commode?and?a?Secretary?by?Riesener,?pp.?49?66?which?references,??.,?Molinier,?Le?
 Mobilier?au?XVIIe?et?au?XVIIIe?Si?cle,?et?pendant?les?Premi?res?ann?es?du?Ier?Empire,?Paris,?1898.??
 146?These?names?as?provided?by?Molinier?were:?Forestier,?Charbonnier,?Duplessis,?Winant?and?Hervieux?were?
 used?to?produce?the?ormolu?of?the?Bureau?du?roi.??Note?that?Duplessis?was?known?to?only?design?ormolu,?not?to?
 actually?produce?them?(See?Molineier,?Le?Mobilier?au?XVIIe?et?au?XVIIIe?Si?cle,?et?pendant?les?Premi?res?ann?es?
 du?Ier?Empire.)??
 147?These?patterns?are?not?really?sourced?to?ancient?civilizations,?however?they?do?share?many?of?the?
 characteristics?of?the?Classical?design?philosophies?such?as?the?symmetry,?the?relative?simplicity?and?the?
 realism.??
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??276?
 (Thomire?was?a?student?of?Gouthi?re).?148??While?Robiquet?and?Molinier?conclusion?that?
 Riesener?s?ormolu?may?have?be?done?by?Gouthi?re,?Lady?Dilke?suggests?Thomire?is?more?
 likely?to?have?produced?them.149?The?attribution?to?Gouthi?re?is?supported?by?the?
 extraordinary?quality?of?work?he?produced.?Robiquet?argues?that?his?work?shows:?
 ?
 ??an?extraordinary?intensity?of?life?and?most?often?of?laughing?life;??abundance?of?
 details?which?are?treated?with?minuteness?but?are?natural;??very?great?versatility?and?
 seeking?for?versatility?in?decoration?inspired?by?plants????
 ?
 However,?he?then?suggests?that?Thomire?and?his?contemporaries?were?inspired?by?and?
 imitated?Gouthi?re.??Molinier?likewise?indicates?that?Thomire?could?easily?have?executed?the?
 work.??Some?argue?that?the?authenticated?work?of?Gouthi?re?is?more?restrained?and?less?
 exuberant?than?that?on?Riesener?s?furniture.??Dilke150?points?out?that?Gouthi?re?never?
 worked?for?the?crown?nor?any?cabinet?(to?the?best?of?our?knowledge)?while?Thomire?is?
 known?to?have?supplied?work?for?several?cabinetmakers?after?the?revolution.??However,?no?
 such?proof?supports?her?claim?for?Thomire?regarding?the?time?of?Riesener.??In?fact,?there?is?
 no?evidence?that?Riesener?had?any?business?arrangements?with?either?of?these?artists?and?
 therefore?this?must?remain?speculative;?both?artists?produced?very?detailed?foliage?and?floral?
 arrangements?and?(at?best)?might?have?executed?these?for?Riesener.??The?only?fondeurs?
 ciseleurs?who?there?is?documented?proof?of?a?payment?being?made?to?by?Riesener?during?
 this?time?was?Fran?ois?R?mond?(1747?1812)???a?note?in?R?mond?s?journal?states?that?
 Riesener?owed?him?1,550?livres?for?gilding?work.??In?his?billing?to?Riesener,?R?mond?wrote:??
 ?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 148?There?were?also?a?number?of?other?craftsmen?who?copied?the?naturalistic?style?that?was?being?produced?by?
 Gouthi?re,?however?these?were?never?considered?as?possible?authors?of?this?work?for?Riesener.??
 149?Lady?Dilke,?French?Furniture?and?Decoration?in?the?XVIIIth?Century,?London,?1901.?
 ????Robiquet,?J,?Gouthiere,?Renouard,?Paris?1912?(as?reported?in?F.?Watson,?Wallace?Collection?Catalogues.?
 ???????Furniture,?William?Clowes,?London,?1956.?p.?156).?
 ??.,?Molinier,?The?Wallace?Collection?(Objets?d'Art)?at?Hertford?House,?Goupil?&?Co,?Paris,?1903?(as?reported?in??
 F.?Watson,?Wallace?Collection?Catalogues.?Furniture,?p.?156)?
 150?Lady?Dilke,?French?Furniture?and?Decoration?in?the?XVIIIth?Century.?
 ?
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??277?
  ??dorure?mat?de?la?Garniture?d?un?secr?taire?compose?de?Cadre???feuilles?et?perles?
 frises?bas?relief;??(matt?gilding?for?the?framework?for?a?secretary?Framework?
 consisting?of?leaves?and?beads?bas?relief?friezes)151??
 ?
 This?could?be?refering?to?the?frame?around?the?plaque?on?F302,???however?this?remains?to?be?
 proven.???Furthermore,?Fran?ois?R?mond?was?known?to?produce?ormolu?for?furniture?by?
 other?makers?and?it?is?known?that?he?worked?with?Gouthi?re?on?several?pieces,?perhaps?
 suggesting?that?he?learned?from?Gouthi?re?s?the?new?style?of?detailed?foliage?arrangements.?
 152??However,?as?there?is?no??proof?,?R?mond?s?work?cannot?be?firmly?associated?with?the?
 work?on?F302,?
 despite?A.?Pradere?s?
 claim?that?detailed?
 gilding?(similar?to?
 Gouthi?re?s?in?style)?
 was?reported?to?have?
 been?executed?in?
 1782?by?Remond?for?
 Riesener?at?a?cost?of?
 1,050L.153????
 ?
 Doors?on?F302:??None?
 of?the?Riesener?
 pieces?in?this?study?
 required?such?special?
 measures?to?attach?
 the?doors?as?those?
 used?by?Chippendale?for?his?Harewood?Library?Table???the?doors?being?lighter.??Instead,?
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 151?W.?Rieder,?A?Royal?Commode?and?Secretaitre?by?Riesener,?The?Furniture?History?Journal,?2002,?pp.?83?96?
 152??See?website?http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artMakerDetails??maker=3490,?accessed?January?2010.?
 153?This?is?a?small?writing?table,?supplied?to?Marie?Antoinette?by?Riesener?for?the?Petit?Trianon,?which?has?the?
 same?water?lily?marquetry?as?on?F302.???A.?Pradere,?(Translated?by?P.?Wood),?French?Furniture?Makers:?The?Art?
 of?the?Ebeniste?from?Louis?XIV?to?the?Revolution,?p.?374.?
 ?
 Figure?5?56:??The?flanged?
 edges?of?the?doors?on?
 F302.?The?top?picture?
 shows?the?right?door?or?
 the?groove?of?the?door?
 while?the?lower?picture?
 provides?a?close?up?of?
 the?lower?door?shows?
 the?tongue?or?the?left?
 had?door.???
 ?
MAKING?FASHIONABLE?FURNITURE:?Chapter?V???Case?Histories??????????????????????????????Page??
 ?
 ??278?
 ?
 Tongue?
 ?
 Groove??
 Figure?5?57:??The?doors?on?the?Riesener?secr?taire???abattant?
 number?F300?from?The?Wallace?Collection,?showing?the?flange?
 or?tongue?and?groove?used?by?Riesener?on?many?of?his?cabinet?
 doors.??
 Riesener?s?workshop?relied?on?more?standard?methods?of?attaching?the?doors???sometimes?
 simple?butt?brass?hinges?with?brass?screws.??Besides?the?hinges,?there?are?two?other?
 characteristics?differentiating?Riesener?s?doors?from?those?produced?in?Chippendale?s?
 workshops.??One?of?these?is?the?way?in?which?the?doors?locked?and?the?second?is?the?use?of?
 double?doors?making?use?of?a?tongue?and?grove?running?the?height?of?the?door.?154?
 ?
 Locks?are?integral?to?how?Riesener?
 approached?making?the?doors?and?
 so?must?also?be?discussed?again?
 briefly.??According?to?notes?by?P.?
 Hughes155?and?G.?Bellaigue?156?the?
 tongue?and?groove?arrangement?of?
 these?double?doors?is?a?feature?
 unique?to?Riesener?s?furniture.?157??
 In?conjunction?with?this?devise,?
 Riesener?would?usually?use?a?
 spring?loaded,?single?turn?lock?on?
 these?doors.??The?lock,?instead?of?
 sending?a?bolt?to?the?other?door,?
 would?attach?itself?to?a?brass??D??
 shaped?loop?that?had?been?screwed?onto?the?door?(See?Figure?5?58).??The?use?of?the?tongue?
 and?groove?edge?allowed?the?doors?to?be?locked?without?the?use?of?some?mechanism?that?
 sent?a?bolt?to?the?other?door.???
 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 154?Chippendale,?as?seen?earlier,?used?one?long?door?reaching?across?the?front?of?his?secr?taire?(See?Appendix?C,?
 page?468).??Another?approach?used?by?Riesener?was?to?use?a?levered?door?that?slide?out?from?a?slot?on?the?left?
 side?to?form?a?door?across?the?entire?Lower?Storage?Section.??
 155?Multiple?Authors,?File?Notes?from?The?Wallace?Collection?for?furniture?numbered?F300,?F302,?F303,?and?
 Accessed?over?extended?period?from?8?Jan?2007?to?11?Dec?2009.?
 156?G.?Bellaigue,?The?James?A.?De?Rothschild?Collection?at?Waddesdon?Manor???Furniture,?Clocks?and?Gilt?Bronze?
 Vol?1&?2,?p.?355.?
 157?The?other?characteristic?listed?in?Bellaigue?s?book?is?the?use?of?the?panel?and?railing?back?that?one?can?slide?
 down?allowing?one?to?access?the?inside?of?the?secr?taire???abattants?from?the?back?(This?is?also?discussed?in?a?
 separate?section?see?P.?314.)??