BY LEONARD BOUDIN, CIRCA 1761-1765

Boudin (maître in 1761) was particularly renowned for the quality of his floral marquetry, a skill he learned while apprenticed to the ébéniste, Pierre II Migeon (d. 1758). In 1772, he began retailing furniture from premises on the rue Fromenteau, five years later he moved to the cloister of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois. Characteristic of his work are panels of floral marquetry framed by amaranth, such as on the present piece. Large floral garlands are also associated with Boudin's marquetry. As a marchand-ébéniste, his stamp is often found alongside that of RVLC, Evald, Denizot and Gilbert, indicating that Boudin retailed these pieces on behalf of these ébénistes. Boudin worked not only with marquetry veneers, but also with Chinese lacquer and japanned (vernis) panels imitating Chinese lacquer. As a result of this activity, his stamp is found on many pieces of furniture and, at the end of his career in 1791, he maintained that many of those pieces were retailed by him.