Gilles Joubert
Encyclopedia
Gilles Joubert was a Parisian ébéniste
who worked for the Garde-Meuble of Louis XV
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
in 1763. He produced case furniture in a robust Rococo
style, ranging from simple veneered bidet
s to grand commode
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
.
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, 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
, Lisbon) was actually made by Jean Henri Riesener
, who would succeed him as ébéniste du roi. In the Frick Collection
, New York, is a royal commode delivered by Joubert in 1769 but stamped by Roger Vandercruse Lacroix
.
Among his most celebrated pieces are the corner cupboards (encoignures) made in 1755 for Louis XV's Cabinet de Médailles at Versailles (Bibliothèque National). 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.
Commode
Pedestal
Secrétaire à abattant
Ébéniste
Ébéniste is the French word for a cabinetmaker, whereas in French menuisier denotes a woodcarver or chairmaker. The English equivalent for "ébéniste," "ebonist," is never commonly used. Originally, an ébéniste was one who worked with ebony, a favoured luxury wood for mid-seventeenth century...
who worked for the Garde-Meuble of Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
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
Jean-François Oeben, or Johann Franz Oeben was a French cabinetmaker whose career was spent in Paris. He is the maternal grandfather of the painter Eugène Delacroix....
in 1763. He produced case furniture in a robust Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
style, ranging from simple veneered bidet
Bidet
A bidet is a low-mounted plumbing fixture or type of sink intended for washing the genitalia, inner buttocks, and anus. It was originally a French word.-History:...
s to grand commode
Commode
A commode, commode with legs, or commode on legs is any of several pieces of furniture. The word commode comes from the French word for "convenient" or "suitable", which in turn comes from the Latin adjective commodus, with similar meanings.Originally, in French furniture, a commode introduced...
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
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
.
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, may have brought him to her attention and likely through her to court commissions. For the Château de Choisy
Château de Choisy
The Château de Choisy was a sometime royal French residence in the commune of Choisy-le-Roi in the Val-de-Marne département, not far from Paris...
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
Museu Calouste Gulbenkian
Museu Calouste Gulbenkian is a museum in Lisbon, Portugal, containing a collection of ancient, and some modern art...
, Lisbon) was actually made by Jean Henri Riesener
Jean Henri Riesener
Jean-Henri Riesener was the French royal ébéniste, working in Paris, whose work exemplified the early neoclassical Louis XVI style"....
, who would succeed him as ébéniste du roi. In the Frick Collection
Frick Collection
The Frick Collection is an art museum located in Manhattan, New York City, United States.- History :It is housed in the former Henry Clay Frick House, which was designed by Thomas Hastings and constructed in 1913-1914. John Russell Pope altered and enlarged the building in the early 1930s to adapt...
, New York, is a royal commode delivered by Joubert in 1769 but stamped by Roger Vandercruse Lacroix
Roger Vandercruse Lacroix
Roger Vandercruse Lacroix , often known as Roger Vandercruse, was a Parisian ébéniste whose highly refined furniture spans the rococo and the early neoclassical styles....
.
Among his most celebrated pieces are the corner cupboards (encoignures) made in 1755 for Louis XV's Cabinet de Médailles at Versailles (Bibliothèque National). Not all the furniture delivered by Joubert received a favourable reception: a bombé commode painted with flowers on a white Vernis Martin
Vernis Martin
In interior design, vernis Martin is a type of lacquer named for the French brothers Guillaume and Etienne-Simon Martin. It is an imitation Chinese lacquer and was applied to a wide variety of items, from furniture to coaches...
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.
Collection
Bureau Plat- Bureau Plat, delivered to Louis XV for the cabinet intérieur at Versailles, 1759, Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, USA
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 CastleFloors CastleFloors Castle, on the western outskirts of Kelso, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is a country house, rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for the 1st Duke, possibly incorporating an earlier tower house...
, UK; - Commode, delivered (as a pair) for the bedchamber of Madame Louise, daughter of Louis XV, 1769, Getty Museum, USA;
- Commode, delivered (as a pair) for the Salon de Compagnie of Mademoiselle Du Barry at Versailles, Walker Art GalleryWalker Art GalleryThe Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England, outside of London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group, and is promoted as "the National Gallery of the North" because it is not a local or regional gallery but is part...
, UK - Commode, (produced by Roger Lacroix, directed by Joubert) delivered to Madame Victoire de France for the Chateau de Compiègne, 1769, Frick CollectionFrick CollectionThe Frick Collection is an art museum located in Manhattan, New York City, United States.- History :It is housed in the former Henry Clay Frick House, which was designed by Thomas Hastings and constructed in 1913-1914. John Russell Pope altered and enlarged the building in the early 1930s to adapt...
, USA
Pedestal
- Pair of pedestals, for the bedroom of Louis XV at Versailles, 1762, Royal CollectionRoyal CollectionThe Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. It is property of the monarch as sovereign, but is held in trust for her successors and the nation. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 150,000 old master prints, as well as historical...
, 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;