Gilles Joubert (1689–1775) was a Parisian ''

ébéniste ''Ébéniste'' () is a loanword (from French) for a cabinet-maker, particularly one who works in ebony. Etymology and ambiguities As opposed to ''ébéniste'', the term ''menuisier'' denotes a woodcarver or chairmaker in French. The English equiva ...

'' who worked for the ''Garde-Meuble'' of

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

for two and a half decades, beginning in 1748, earning the title ''ébéniste ordinaire du Garde-Meuble'' in 1758, and finally that of ''ébéniste du roi'' ("royal cabinet-maker") on the death of

Jean-François Oeben Jean-François Oeben, or Johann Franz Oeben (9 October 1721 Heinsberg near Aachen – Paris 21 January 1763) was a German ébéniste (cabinetmaker) whose career was spent in Paris. He was the maternal grandfather of the painter Eugène Delacroix. ...

in 1763. He produced case furniture in a robust

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

style, ranging from simple veneered ''

bidet A bidet ( or ) is a bowl or receptacle designed to be sat on in order to wash one's genitalia, perineum, inner buttocks, and anus. The modern variety has a plumbed-in water supply and a drainage opening, and is thus a plumbing fixture subjec ...

s'' to grand

commode A commode is any of many pieces of furniture. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' has multiple meanings of "commode". The first relevant definition reads: "A piece of furniture with drawers and shelves; in the bedroom, a sort of elaborate chest ...

s that integrated gilt-bronze mounts into the forms of furniture with subtle three-dimensional curves (''bombé''). From the later 1760s his furniture increasingly shows a conservative compromise with the nascent

neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...

. The date of Joubert's admission to the ''corporation des maiîtres ébénistes'' is missing, along with the early guild archives, but he was already syndic in 1749-50. Much of his furniture was produced before Parisian guild regulations required ''ébénistes'' to stamp their production, and pieces intended for the royal ''Garde-Meuble'' were exempt from such regulations; however, the minutely-detailed inventory descriptions of the ''Garde-Meuble de la Couronne'' and inventory numbers stencilled on surviving furniture have enabled scholars to identify a number of pieces from Joubert's workshop. Francis Watson suggested that Joubert's marriage to a relative of Pierre II Migeon, a favoured cabinet-maker of

Mme de Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...

, may have brought him to her attention and likely through her to court commissions. For the Château de Choisy he produced, with the engineer Guérin, the famous ''table volante'' that rose through the floor for private suppers. In the decade following 1763 he supplied 2200 pieces of furniture to the court; under the pressure of such a volume of commissions, he was obliged to subcontract even some important pieces of furniture: the roll-top desk he delivered to the comtesse de Provence, 30 December 1773, (

Museu Calouste Gulbenkian The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum houses one of the world's most important private art collections. It includes works from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century, spanning the arts of the Islamic World, China and Japan, as well as the French decor ...

, Lisbon) was actually made by

Jean Henri Riesener Jean-Henri Riesener (german: Johann Heinrich Riesener; 4 July 1734 – 6 January 1806) was a famous German ''ébéniste'' (cabinetmaker), working in Paris, whose work exemplified the early neoclassical "Louis XVI style". Life and career Riesene ...

, who would succeed him as ''ébéniste du roi''. In the

Frick Collection The Frick Collection is an art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection (normally at the Henry Clay Frick House, currently at the 945 Madison Avenue#2021–present: Frick Madison, Frick Madison) features Old Master paintings and Europe ...

, New York, is a royal commode delivered by Joubert in 1769 but stamped by

Roger Vandercruse Lacroix Roger Vandercruse Lacroix (1728–1799), often known as Roger Vandercruse, was a Parisian ''ébéniste'' whose highly refined furniture spans the rococo and the early neoclassical styles. According to Salverte, he "is counted among the great ebe ...

. Among his most celebrated pieces are the corner cupboards (''encoignures'') made in 1755 for Louis XV's ''Cabinet de Médailles'' at Versailles (

Bibliothèque nationale A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

). Not all the furniture delivered by Joubert received a favourable reception: a bombé commode painted with flowers on a white Vernis Martin ground (now yellowed), with ''silvered''-bronze mounts, delivered 11 January 1755 for Madame Adelaïde at Versailles, was returned to the ''Garde-Meuble'' the same day. In June 1774 the octogenarian Joubert contracted with Riesener to assign the younger man his workshop and its contents with the good will of his clientele.Pierre Verlet, ''Möbel von J.H. Riesener'' (Darmstadt) 1955, p. 6.

Collection

''Bureau Plat'' :*Bureau Plat, delivered to Louis XV for the ''cabinet intérieur'' at Versailles, 1759,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, United States ''Commode'' :*Commode, delivered for the ''Chambre de Madame Adelaide'', daughter of Louis XV, at the Château de Marly, 1774, V&A, UK; :*Commode, delivered bedchamber of the Comtesse d'Artois, Palace of Versailles, 1773,

Floors Castle Floors Castle, in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is an estate house rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for Duke John, possibly incorporat ...

, UK; :*Commode, delivered (as a pair) for the bedchamber of Madame Louise, daughter of Louis XV, 1769,

Getty Museum The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referred to as the Getty, is an art museum in Los Angeles, California housed on two campuses: the Getty Center and Getty Villa. The Getty Center is located in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles and fe ...

, United States; :*Commode, delivered (as a pair) for the ''Salon de Compagnie'' of Mademoiselle Du Barry at Versailles,

Walker Art Gallery The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History of the Gallery The Walker Art Gallery's collection ...

, UK :*Commode, (produced by Roger Lacroix, directed by Joubert) delivered to Madame Victoire de France for the Chateau de Compiègne, 1769,

, United States ''Pedestal'' :*Pair of pedestals, for the bedroom of Louis XV at Versailles, 1762,

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

, UK ''Secrétaire à abattant'' :*Secrétaire à abattant, delivered for the ''Chambre de Madame Adelaide'', daughter of Louis XV, at the Château de Marly, 1774, V&A, UK;

Notes

External links

(Getty Museum) Gilles Joubert: commode 1769
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joubert, Gilles French furniture makers 1689 births 1775 deaths