This Louis XVI period secretary, stamped by Martin Ohneberg, is a masterpiece of sobriety and refinement. It features a solid wood frame clad in rosewood and a sumptuous satinwood veneer, whose sinuous, golden veins lend brilliance and depth. The ornamentation is understated yet exquisite: delicately floral, chased bronze mounts accentuate the clean lines of the piece, typical of the style. neoclassical.
Martin Ohneberg
Of German origin, Martin Ohnerberg (1738 – ?) was active in Paris during the last decades of the 18th century, particularly during the reign of Louis XVI. Having become a master cabinetmaker on July 7, 1773, he belonged to the great tradition of Parisian furniture, characterized by a quest for elegance, architectural rigor, and refined materials.
Located on rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, in the historic district of woodworkers, Ohneberg mainly produces Louis XVI style furniture. His work is distinguished by a great mastery of precious wood veneer — satinwood, amaranth, rosewood — as well as by the refined use of chiseled bronzes to highlight the pure lines of his works.
His work encompasses a wide variety of cabinet-made furniture influenced by the revival of classical styles that began in the 1760s and 1770s, emphasizing symmetry, elegant simplicity, and understated ornamentation. He particularly excels in the manufacture of drop-front furniture, whose balance between functionality and aesthetics is remarkable.
The French Revolution brought a brutal halt to the careers of many cabinetmakers, and traces of Martin Ohneberg disappear after 1790. It is assumed that he had to cease his activity in those troubled years, like many craftsmen linked to the aristocratic clientele.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- The workshops Parisian cabinetmakers and joiners in the 17th and 18th centuries – Guillaume Janneau – Serg Editions – 1975
- French Furniture of the 18th Century – Pierre Kjellberg – Les Editions de l'Amateur – 1989
State of affairs report
Upon its arrival at the workshop, the piece of furniture showed the marks of time: veneers peeling off or missing, tarnished bronzes, wear of the old varnish, cracks on the sides, doors and drop-leaf.
The restaurant
- Disassembly and cleaning: Each bronze element was carefully disassembled for low-pressure steam cleaning, without damaging the original gilding. They were then carefully arranged, ensuring their exact position was maintained before being reassembled in their original locations.
- Consolidation and marquetry: The detached veneers were re-glued with hot glue as needed, and all veneered surfaces were rehydrated by infiltration of glue. The old mahogany restorations were replaced with satinwood grafts, scraped, sanded, and cut to the correct thickness on the backing before gluing. The cracks were filled on the backing.
- Lock restoration: The opening mechanisms were disassembled, cleaned and lubricated.
- Finishing: After cleaning, the old shellac varnish was regenerated before being recoated with a colorless shellac.
