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Fall-Front Secretary on Stand

Adam Weisweiler French

1784

Not on view

With its harmony of Japanese-lacquer panels and gilt-bronze mounts, this elegant secretary would have been seen by few visitors; it stood in one of the king’s private rooms, his Cabinet Intérieur. The panels with shaped pictorial cartouches decorating the front are about 150 years older than the secretary itself. The maker cut them from the surface of a close stool (chamber pot) dating to about 1640, the reuse a testament to the continued appreciation of Japanese lacquer in Europe.

Fall-Front Secretary on Stand, Adam Weisweiler (French, 1744–1820), Oak, exterior veneered with ebony and Japanese lacquer, mother of pearl; gilt bronze; interior: sycamore and other marquetry woods, leather, French — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Fall-Front Secretary on Stand, Adam Weisweiler (French, 1744–1820), Oak, exterior veneered with ebony and Japanese lacquer, mother of pearl; gilt bronze; interior: sycamore and other marquetry woods, leather, French

Fall-Front Secretary on Stand, Adam Weisweiler (French, 1744–1820), Oak, exterior veneered with ebony and Japanese lacquer, mother of pearl; gilt bronze; interior: sycamore and other marquetry woods, leather, French

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

© The Al Thani Collection, 2017. All rights reserved. Photograph taken by Benoit Guillaume

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

© The Al Thani Collection, 2017. All rights reserved. Photograph taken by Benoit Guillaume

Title: Fall-Front Secretary on Stand

Artist: Adam Weisweiler (French, 1744–1820)

Date: 1784

Culture: French

Medium: Oak, exterior veneered with ebony and Japanese lacquer, mother of pearl; gilt bronze; interior: sycamore and other marquetry woods, leather

Dimensions: 54 5/16 × 52 3/8 × 18 1/8 in., 330.7 lb. (138 × 133 × 46 cm, 150 kg)

Classification: Furniture

Credit Line: The Al Thani Collection (BELG022)

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European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Met

The Met's comprehensive collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century.