Napoléon III Archives • Ébénisterie Mathieu Vath

Boulle Napoleon III liquor cabinet

April 23, 2026April 23, 2026 Mathieu Vathliquor cabinet, Vacuum bonding, Boulle marquetry, Napoleon III, 19th century

Restoration of a Napoleon III liquor cabinet in tortoiseshell and brass marquetry. The liquor cabinet, an elegant and ingenious piece of furniture, appeared at the end of the 18th century. Initially designed to accompany long carriage journeys, it allowed for the easy transport and consumption of liqueurs. Its true rise in popularity, however, occurred in the 19th century, a period during which it became a symbol of refinement and the French art of living. This piece of furniture takes the form of a box, called a "caisson," […]

Louis XIV low bookcase

January 26, 2026February 6, 2026 Mathieu Vathlibrary, Vacuum bonding, ebony, Louis XIV, Boulle marquetry, Napoleon III, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, French polish, library display case, 19th century

Restoration of a low Louis XIV style bookcase, in Boulle marquetry of brown tortoiseshell and brass, ebony, and chiseled and gilded bronze ornamentation. The central projecting front opens with three glazed doors decorated with scroll and foliage motifs, resting on tapered legs. This type of three-part low cabinet was one of Boulle's great successes, and he himself offered several variations. The Louvre Museum, in fact, owns no fewer than six examples. These pieces of furniture, particularly suited to the display […]

Napoleon III worker

February 2, 2022February 2, 2022 Mathieu VathBoulle marquetry, Napoleon III, Veneering - Marquetry, blackened pear tree, furniture restoration

Restoration of a Napoleon III period sewing table inlaid with mother-of-pearl, brass, and ebony. As you can see from the photos, this sewing table was in very poor condition. Only the affection and sentimental value of its owner saved it. Indeed, the time required for the restoration of this table was far too great compared to the object's value. Almost all of the brass inlay on the base was missing, there was a lot of missing veneer, and there was a […]

L Cueunieres Writing Desk

November 26, 2021November 27, 2021 Mathieu Vathmahogany, Inkwell, Napoleon III, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, French polish, 19th century

A small restoration for this very pretty Louis XVI style inkwell, stamped L.CUENIERES jne. Louis Cueunières jeune, established at 10 rue Villehardouin in Paris in 1870, specialized in the restoration of antique furniture and the reproduction of period pieces. This inkwell was in fairly good condition. Apart from a few small pieces of missing ebony, it was simply dirty. A few ebony grafts, a good cleaning, and a touch-up of the varnish with a French polish were enough to restore its former luster. To see previous restorations: https://ebenisterie-mathieuvath.fr/en-ce-moment-a-latelier/ You can find this piece at […]

Louis XV style desk

November 6, 2021November 6, 2021 Mathieu VathDesk, Napoleon III, Veneering - Marquetry

A major restoration was undertaken for this small Louis XV style desk, richly adorned with bronze mounts and veneered in rosewood. The restoration involved replacing the missing veneer while preserving as much of the remaining material as possible. This was achieved by using veneer that was sliced, scraped, sanded, oxidized, and varnished before being re-glued, thus avoiding the need to sand the piece before finishing. Rosewood is a very dark wood that lightens with age, developing a beautiful reddish patina that cannot be removed by any means.

Napoleon III Boulle marquetry games table

May 30, 2021June 11, 2022 Mathieu VathBoulle marquetry, Napoleon III

Congratulations to Damien (intern) for restoring this Boulle marquetry games table. It was quite a task. Almost all the brass veneers were peeling off, there were some missing brass pieces, but most importantly, many missing tortoiseshell pieces. The glues were severely dehydrated, judging by the blistering tortoiseshell. The games table was completely disassembled. All the missing brass pieces were cut out using a marquetry easel and then engraved with a burin. As for the tortoiseshell, we opted for […]

Napoleon III side table

May 14, 2021May 31, 2021 Mathieu VathBoulle marquetry, Napoleon III, blackened pear tree, furniture restoration, French polish, 19th century

A Napoleon III period side table with a quadrangular structure veneered in blackened pearwood, adorned with rich Boulle marquetry in brass and red tortoiseshell forming an arabesque design composed of foliate scrolls, rocaille motifs, and small flowers. The whole is punctuated by beautiful gilt-bronze mounts featuring atlas figures with clasped hands, acanthus leaves, and an apron. The top is framed by a gadrooned molding supporting a black marble slab with rounded edges. It opens with a door with a lock […]

Napoleon III Boulle marquetry side table

May 7, 2021May 31, 2021 Mathieu VathBronzes, Vacuum bonding, Boulle marquetry, Napoleon III, blackened pear tree, furniture restoration, French polish, 19th century

A console table veneered in ebonized pearwood and inlaid with Boulle marquetry of brass on tortoiseshell in arabesque designs. It opens with a door adorned with an oval medallion, revealing shelves in mahogany and mahogany veneer. Rich ornamentation of chased and gilded bronze: egg-and-dart friezes, caryatids in corner drops, interlaced friezes, acanthus leaf friezes, fruit, and florets. This Boulle piece requires extensive restoration. Some pieces of brass, stringing, and especially a great deal of tortoiseshell are missing. Given its value […]

Small Boulle marquetry cartel clock

August 24, 2020June 11, 2022 Mathieu Vathcartel, Vacuum bonding, Brass, Boulle marquetry, Napoleon III, Uncategorized, French polish, 19th century

Restoration of a Napoleon III period marquetry clock in brown tortoiseshell on a black ground and brass. Despite dust, oxidation, and years spent in the depths of an attic, this small clock is in very good condition. Except for a missing piece of brass on the right side of the capital, it is complete. The gilding is still clearly visible beneath the layer of grime, and the structure is in perfect condition. The restoration was therefore straightforward: re-gluing all the marquetry under vacuum, then a light cleaning, and a varnishing with […]

Napoleon III wall shelf

August 13, 2020May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathrosewood, conservation, wall shelf, graft, Napoleon III, Uncategorized, Veneering - Marquetry, restoration, furniture restoration, French polish, 19th century

Restoration of a Napoleon III period wall shelf veneered in blackened pearwood, rosewood, amaranth, amboyna burl, and marquetry with a music theme. Underneath the dust, aside from small losses in the blackened pearwood and rosewood, and slight dehydration, there was nothing too serious. A few veneer grafts, a vacuum-sealed glue application, a thorough cleaning, a coat of clear French polish, and voilà! All this without using sandpaper. Except for lightly sanding the varnish […]

Napoleon III liquor cabinet

July 25, 2020June 11, 2022 Mathieu Vathliquor cabinet, Napoleon III, Veneering - Marquetry, restoration, furniture restoration, French polish, 19th century

It would seem that the first liquor cellars appeared at the very end of the 18th century. But it was in the 19th century that the fashion for liquor cellars truly took off. The revolution transformed social classes and ways of socializing, leading to increased consumption of liquor, which contributed to the rise of this new social object. The emergence of liquor cellars is, of course, directly linked to the evolution of alcohol consumption in France, such as sweet Mediterranean wines, brandies, cognac, liqueurs, and more.

Louis XVI style desk stamped KRIEGER

July 13, 2020June 11, 2022 Mathieu Vathmahogany, Bronzes, Desk, Napoleon III, Veneering - Marquetry, restoration, furniture restoration, French polish, 19th century

Exquisitely crafted with its mahogany-veneered oak frame and solid mahogany legs, this desk is a perfect example of high-quality 19th-century furniture. The cabinetmaking is flawlessly executed, and the bronze mounts are in pristine condition. Everything is there; nothing is missing. The Krieger firm began its cabinetmaking business in the mid-19th century with Antoine Krieger (1804-1869) before adding a significant decorative department, which ensured the prestige of its business until around 1945. The Krieger firm produced all the […]

Napoleon III style Louis XVI work table

May 25, 2020May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathmahogany, rosewood, conservation, graft, Napoleon III, Veneering - Marquetry, restoration, furniture restoration, work table

A few photos of the restoration of a small Louis XVI style work table from the late 19th century. The legs are solid mahogany, and it is veneered with rosewood, sapele, blackened pearwood, and boxwood for the fluting and stringing. Nothing too serious for this pretty little piece of furniture, which only had a few missing veneers and a small chip on the side of the oak drawer. A simple restoration: a few veneer grafts glued with hot glue, a light cleaning of […]

Napoleon III Boulle marquetry side table

May 10, 2020May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathjam pot, Brass, Boulle marquetry, Napoleon III, 19th century

Restoring this piece of furniture is a classic. The door was warped and almost all the brass inlay was missing. Its main advantage was that the marquetry on the door was fairly well preserved, apart from a small amount of missing brass and a few pieces of dyed horn. Nothing too serious. So I started by removing the bronze mounts, then I remade and glued all the missing inlays, reattaching those that were still there in the process. Next, I tackled the door. After removing the veneer […]

Louis XVI style sewing box

January 18, 2020May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathmahogany, rosewood, graft, Napoleon III, Veneering - Marquetry, restoration, furniture restoration, Louis XVI style, 19th century

This sewing box dates from the Napoleon III period. The frame is made of softwood. The veneer is composed of Rio rosewood, mahogany for the interior, and a green-stained boxwood and maple inlay. The great quality of this box is that the lid hasn't warped. This is often the major problem with this type of furniture, as people forget to lock them, causing the wood to warp. It then becomes very difficult to find the "trick" to ensure the box stays closed.

Secretary Napoleon III

December 21, 2019May 31, 2021 Mathieu VathBronzes, Vacuum bonding, Brass, Boulle marquetry, Napoleon III, restoration, furniture restoration, secretary

On the restoration side, there wasn't much to do: the brass fittings were reattached with fish glue and by infiltration, then stripped and varnished. The most difficult part of this type of furniture is the black stain. Over time, pear wood darkens, loses its color, and turns gray. It then needs to be stained, without, of course, obscuring the brass. To do this, I fill and polish the piece until the brass becomes a true mirror. Then, I apply a hot logwood stain, and then […]

Corner cabinet in Boulle marquetry from the Napoleon III period

November 20, 2019May 31, 2021 Mathieu VathBronzes, Vacuum bonding, corner, graft, Brass, Boulle marquetry, Napoleon III, Uncategorized, furniture restoration, French polish

A classic restoration of Boulle marquetry. This involved rehydrating the old glue through infiltration, crafting and gluing the missing brass pieces, and reconstructing the base, which was in poor condition but not beyond repair. The bronze mounts were cleaned and finished with a clear French polish. Proof that appearances can be deceiving. Even a piece of furniture in a severely deteriorated state can regain its former beauty.

Napoleon III Desk

July 23, 2019May 31, 2021 Mathieu Vathrosewood, Bronzes, Desk, graft, Napoleon III, Veneering - Marquetry, restoration, furniture restoration, French polish, 19th century

A classic restoration for this type of furniture. The legs are slightly damaged, the varnish has yellowed and dulled. A few rosewood grafts, cleaning, stripping, and a beautiful French polish will be enough to give it a new lease on life. Not forgetting the cleaning of the bronze mounts.