This Boulle cartel stamped Dubois, dating from the Louis XV period, is veneered with brown tortoiseshell and brass using the marquetry technique developed by André-Charles Boulle at the end of the 17th centurye century. Its curved case, enhanced with rocaille gilt bronzes, illustrates the taste for movement and abundant ornamentation characteristic of the reign of Louis XV.
The movement, adorned with scrollwork motifs, bears an engraving of Louis XV's portrait on its gimbal, a distinctive feature of Parisian clock movements of this period. Furthermore, this detail, combined with the Dubois stamp found on the frame, allows us to precisely place this cartel clock within the production of Parisian cabinetmakers of the mid-18th century.e century.
Jacques Dubois (1694 – 1763)
Born in Pontoise in 1694, Jacques Dubois worked for many years as a journeyman in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine before becoming a master cabinetmaker in Paris on September 5, 1742, at the age of forty-eight. He then established himself on the rue de Charenton, where he enjoyed a brilliant career for some twenty years. Appointed cabinetmaker to the King, he worked for the high nobility, including Princess Louise-Élisabeth and the Duchess of Parma.
The Dubois stamp guaranteed high-end furniture, highly prized both in France and abroad. His craftsmanship, akin to the Rococo style, is characterized by the abundant use of intricately carved and irregular bronze mounts to adorn chests of drawers, corner cabinets, desks, and wall clocks. Dubois also distinguished himself with his Boulle marquetry veneers and varnishes inspired by the Far East. Consequently, his works are now held in major public collections, including the Louvre Museum, the Carnavalet Museum, and the Wallace Collection in London.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- French Furniture of the 18th Century – Pierre Kjellberg – Les Editions de l'Amateur – 1989
- Cabinetmakers of the 18th Century – Count François de Salverte – Art and History Publishers – 1934
- André-Charles Boulle and Boulle marquetry – Encyclopædia Universalis
State of affairs report
This Boulle Dubois wall clock did indeed show the signs of age typical of this type of wall-mounted furniture: lifting of the marquetry, localized detachment of the tortoiseshell, and oxidation of the brass. Therefore, all of its constituent elements were systematically documented for deterioration before any intervention.
- Partially detached marquetry, with tensions between the scale and the brass due to successive hygrometric variations.
- Oxidation brass, also indicating active corrosion in places.
- Bleached scale and weakened in certain areas, sometimes detached from the bottom.
- Bronzes finally covered with a homogeneous layer of grime and a patina dulled by decades of oxidation.
The restoration of the Boulle Dubois cartel
After careful examination, the restoration therefore followed the principles of minimal intervention and reversibility inherent to conservation-restoration:
- Rehydration of the scales and old glues by vacuum infiltration, without removing the original veneers.
- Afterwards, deposit of the most affected brass elements and deoxidation by bath.
- Restitution missing brass pieces, cut out on a marquetry easel and adjusted as closely as possible to the original design.
- Then regluing of all marquetry with animal glue, the only reversible adhesive compatible with the requirements of conservation-restoration.
- Finally, cleaning and deoxidation by peeling the undeposited brass marquetry, followed by a thin layer of shellac varnish applied with a pad, then a layer of microcrystalline wax.
- To finish, cleaning bronzes by ultrasound, avoiding any abrasion of the modeling, then reconstruction of a natural patina with wax.
This Boulle cartel clock, stamped Dubois, has thus regained the luster of its tortoiseshell and gilt bronze mounts. It can now therefore be preserved for decades to come.
