The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Art Object

Reading, Writing, and Roentgen

Carolyn Sargentson, independent art historian and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Victoria and Albert Museum, outlines how changing social practices altered the designs and styles of furniture, both for the nobility and the lower classes.

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens on view October 30, 2012–January 27, 2013.

The exhibition and catalogue are made possible by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.

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Cabinet

Martin Carlin (French, near Freiburg im Breisgau ca. 1730–1785 Paris)

Factory:: Porcelain plaques by Sèvres Manufactory (French, 1740–present)
Decorator:: Plaques painted by Jean-Baptiste Tandart (active 1754–1800)
Maker:: Plaques gilded by Jean-Pierre Boulanger (1722–1785, active 1754–85)
Maker:: and Cyprien-Julien Hirel de Choisy (active 1770–1812)
Date:: ca. 1775–80
Culture:: French (Paris and Sèvres)
Medium:: Oak veneered with tulipwood and amaranth, holly, and ebonized holly; gilt bronze, soft-paste porcelain, marble, mirror glass, silk
Dimensions:: H. 36 1/2 in. (92.7 cm.), W. 43 1/8 in. (109.5 cm.), D. 13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm.)
Classification:: Woodwork
Credit Line:: Gift of Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 1958
Accession Number:: 58.75.51

This artwork is not on display

Description

Specialized in flower painting, Tandart decorated not only useful wares such as tea services but also a number of large furniture plaques with ribbon-tied bouquets. The open shelves would have been used for the display of decorative objects, such as mounted vases, or cups and saucers.
Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Signature: (once on each back stile near the top, with the joined initials of the cabinetmakers' jury) M. CARLIN

Marking: see catalogue cards filed under Ceramics-Porcelain, French, Sèvres, XVIII century
Provenance

Sir Charles Mills, Baronet ; The Lords Hillingdon ; The Samuel H. Kress Foundation (until 1958)
See also
Who
Sèvres Manufactory (704)

Martin Carlin (22)

Jean-Baptiste Tandart (17)

Cyprien-Julien Hirel de Choisy (14)

Jean-Pierre Boulanger (10)
What
Metal (59,501)

Silk (34,060)

Clay (23,629)

Copper alloy (16,676)

Glass (16,083)

Faience (11,688)

Bronze (11,669)

Porcelain (11,377)

Gilt (9,077)

Wood (7,066)

Furniture (5,724)

Plate (2,673)

Woodwork (2,577)

Marble (2,133)

Soft paste porcelain (2,020)

Ormolu (1,683)

Oak (1,105)

Case furniture (870)

Mirrors (738)

Cabinets (216)

Tulipwood (153)

Holly (67)

Amaranth (64)
Where
Europe (150,651)

France (50,180)

Paris (2,005)
When
A.D. 1600-1800 (67,139)
In the Museum
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts (43,228)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
France, 1600–1800 A.D.
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Reading, Writing, and Roentgen

Cabinet

Martin Carlin (French, near Freiburg im Breisgau ca. 1730–1785 Paris)

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Reading, Writing, and Roentgen

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Cabinet

Martin Carlin (French, near Freiburg im Breisgau ca. 1730–1785 Paris)

Met Media

Met Kids

Met Store