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Writing and Toilette Table (Marquetry animal)

Jean-François Oeben

The J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States

When unlocked, the top of this small table may be slid back, revealing a drawer covered with a sliding lid veneered with marquetry. By pressing a button, the sliding lid releases, showing silk-lined compartments that may once have held writing materials and various pots for powder, rouge, and beauty patches. This table would probably have been placed in a bedroom, where it would serve for both dressing and writing.

The fine floral marquetry on the top of the table is characteristic of the work of Jean-François Oeben, a royal cabinetmaker. The naturalistically arranged bouquet represented on the top surface contains various flowers including roses and tulips. A garland of blossoms appears to hang from a trellis above. At the four corners, a lion, a swan, a dove, and a salamander represent the four elements: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. The trellis marquetry around the sides of the table and floral marquetry on top are formed from small pieces of wood dyed in various shades, including blue and green, all of which are now almost completely faded.

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  • Title: Writing and Toilette Table (Marquetry animal)
  • Creator: Jean-François Oeben
  • Date Created: about 1755–1760
  • Location Created: Paris, France
  • Physical Dimensions: 71.1 × 80 × 46 cm (28 × 31 1/2 × 18 1/8 in.)
  • Type: Furniture
  • External Link: Find out more about this object on the Museum website.
  • Medium: White oak veneered with kingwood, tulipwood, amaranth, boxwood, holly, barberry, stained hornbeam, bloodwood, sycamore maple, stained maple, ebony; leather; silk fabric lining; gilt bronze mounts; brass and iron fittings and lock; iron screws
  • Terms of Use: Open Content
  • Number: 71.DA.103
  • Culture: French (Paris)
  • Credit Line: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
  • Creator Display Name: Jean-François Oeben (French, born Germany, 1721 - 1763, master 1761)
  • Classification: Decorative Art (Art Genre)
The J. Paul Getty Museum

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