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Transition chest of drawers in the style of Topino

Mathieu Vathrosewood, Bronzes, convenient, graft, Marquetry, Veneering - Marquetry, sawn veneer, restoration, furniture restoration, Transitional style
Ebénisterie Mathieu VATH

A month ago, a lovely Transition-style commode arrived at the workshop. It reminds me of the work of the cabinetmaker Charles Topino (circa 1742-1803) – who received his master craftsman's certificate on July 4, 1773. But it doesn't bear his stamp, nor any other for that matter. Proof that a piece of high-quality furniture doesn't need a stamp. Its marquetry could very well have come from Topino's workshop. He did, in fact, sell marquetry panels to haberdashers and his colleagues, who used them to adorn their furniture. This commode could therefore be inspired by Topino […]

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Napoleon III planter and Louis XVI chest of drawers

Mathieu Vathrosewood, violet wood, chiffonier, Vacuum bonding, planter, Marquetry, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, French polish
Ebénisterie Mathieu VATH

This week, two pieces of furniture left the workshop: a Napoleon III jardinière in rosewood veneer and a Louis XVI chiffonier in rosewood and violet wood veneer. If this piece had seven drawers, it would have been called a "semainier" (weekly chest of drawers). Here are some photos of their restoration.

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Tool cabinet – Continued

Mathieu VathCopy of an old, Creation, Marquetry
Ebénisterie Mathieu Vath

Here are some photos of the marquetry on the tool cabinet. For the corner pieces, I was inspired by those on a table by Pierre Gole, a predecessor and major influence of André-Charles Boulle. For this cabinet, I needed to make 16 corner pieces. So, to save time, I decided to use the Boulle marquetry technique. I made four bundles of different colored woods to obtain four different marquetry designs from a single cut. Therefore, there are four identical designs, but with different flower colors. Then, […]

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Tool cabinet – Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam

Mathieu VathCopy of an old, Marquetry, Uncategorized
Ebénisterie Mathieu Vath

I indulged myself with this marquetry project; I had always wanted to recreate this famous marquetry fresco. This allowed me to revisit David Roentgen's "mosaic marquetry" technique. I created a pack with a hornbeam leaf, a sycamore maple leaf, and a pear leaf to make the figures, as pear wood is the best for reproducing skin tones. To tint the background, I dipped it in different baths to produce this effect of […]

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Tool cabinet – The sculptor

Mathieu VathCopy of an old, Creation, Marquetry
Mathieu Vath

With this tool cabinet, I wanted to explore and put into practice several avenues I was researching. One of them was to tackle the marquetry technique of a famous 18th-century cabinetmaker, David Roentgen. This "mosaic marquetry" involves cutting a single sheet of veneer using a conical saw. Each piece is then colored by dipping it in a chosen dye. However, there were two difficulties: the conical sawing, which is tricky on 0.6 mm veneer, and the dyeing of the wood. When I make […]

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