Jean-Henri Riesener, (detail) Chest of drawers made for Marie-Antoinette, 1780. ©The Wallace Collection
Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806) was one of the most successful cabinetmakers of the eighteenth century. An immigrant to Paris from rural Germany, his hard work and outstanding technique earnt him the position of official cabinetmaker to Louis XVI and his designs transformed royal furniture. His clientele included many members of the French Court but it was perhaps for Marie-Antoinette that he made some of his most ravishing pieces.
Drawing on the findings of recent research from three of the greatest British collections of French furniture, the Wallace Collection, Waddesdon Manor and the Royal Collection, Dr Helen Jacobsen, Curator of French 18th century Decorative Arts at the Wallace Collection, will introduce Riesener’s life and career and show some of the finest pieces of French furniture ever made
This is an online event hosted on Zoom which can be watched live, or on-demand for three weeks. You will receive your link to access the event in your email confirmation, and the on-demand link after the event ends. Bookings close one hour before the event.