cartel Archives • Ébénisterie Mathieu Vath

Louis XV Cartel

November 13, 2025November 14, 2025 Mathieu Vathcartel, Louis XV, Boulle marquetry, furniture restoration, 18th century

This is the first cartel clock restoration undertaken by Raphael, focusing on this Louis XV cartel clock in Boulle marquetry of brown tortoiseshell and brass. Restoring a cartel clock is a complex task requiring considerable time and meticulous attention to detail. The curved shapes make gluing delicate operations, and it is generally necessary to reattach large sections of the brass elements. Condition report: This cartel clock presented widespread soiling, an oxidized and tarnished varnish, as well as several lifting and missing pieces in the brass and tortoiseshell marquetry. […]

Regency Cartel

July 3, 2025September 12, 2025 Mathieu Vathcartel, Boulle marquetry, furniture restoration, 18th century

The restoration of five Boulle marquetry clocks, begun a few months ago, is now complete. Here is a Regency clock and its console, inlaid with tortoiseshell and brass on an oak frame. Measuring Time: Since the dawn of time, humankind has strived to measure time. From the gnomon, a simple stick planted in the ground—a precursor to the sundial—to the flow of water in the clepsydra, and then to the hourglass using the same principle, all these methods have allowed people to organize their social lives, […]

Regency tabletop sign

May 11, 2025September 12, 2025 Mathieu Vathcartel, Boulle marquetry, furniture restoration, 18th century

Restoration of a Boulle marquetry mantel clock, composed of brown tortoiseshell and brass, adorned with chased and gilded bronze mounts. The clock features a monumental rooster (royal emblem), a central mascaron with a satyr's head, caryatids, and two doves beneath a draped dome. The movement is signed GRIBELIN. Nicolas Gribelin, son of Abraham Gribelin, Valet de Chambre-Clockmaker to the King, was born in Blois on November 27, 1637. By the end of the 17th century, he had established himself as one of the most renowned clockmakers of his time.

Louis XV cartel clock stamped by Duhamel and Lamy, clockmakers to Monseigneur the Dauphin

December 20, 2024December 20, 2024 Mathieu Vathcartel, Louis XV, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration

Restoration of an 18th-century Louis XV period clock case made of Martin varnish, with a red lacquer background and polychrome oil-painted decoration. The case of this clock was made by François Duhamel, and the movement is signed by Michel Lamy, clockmaker to Monseigneur the Dauphin. François Duhamel, a Parisian cabinetmaker, born in 1723, became a master on February 3, 1750, and lived until February 2, 1801. He resided on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine and specialized in the manufacture of clock cases. In 1775, he was commissioned to appraise […]

Regency table lamp

October 12, 2024October 12, 2024 Mathieu VathBronzes, cartel, Boulle marquetry, regency, furniture restoration, 18th century

Restoration of a Regency mantel clock in brown tortoiseshell and brass marquetry on an oak frame. Without its bronze mounts, this type of furniture loses its splendor. But when it regains its bronze fittings, knowing that the function of this type of furniture is to tell the time, the symbols that compose them take on their full meaning. Fame on the escapement and the eagle on the door are perfect examples. Fame is originally an allegorical Greek deity personifying public recognition […]

Regency Cartel

May 18, 2024May 18, 2024 Mathieu Vathcartel, Vacuum bonding, conservation, Boulle marquetry, Veneering - Marquetry, regency, furniture restoration

Restoration of a Regency clock case in Boulle marquetry on a brown tortoiseshell background. Since Antiquity, humankind has sought to master and create a "timekeeper." Egyptian obelisks, water clocks, sundials, hourglasses. But it was in the 15th century that the first mechanical weight-driven clocks were made, with a single hand, but generally equipped with chimes. Then, in the 16th century, the counting of the day in two parts, 12 hours instead of 24, was adopted almost everywhere, even though each city kept its own meridian time until the advent of railways and […]

Louis XV cartel clock with crowned C

April 24, 2024May 7, 2024 Mathieu VathBronzes, cartel, Louis XV, Boulle marquetry, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration, 18th century

Restoration of a Louis XV cartel clock in tortoiseshell and brass marquetry, the movement of which is signed by Charles Voisin (born 1686-1760), Master Clockmaker in 1710. The distinctive feature of this clock is that the bronze mounts are stamped with the crowned C mark. The crowned C was established by an edict of 1745, which required bronze workers to mark their pieces with a small, distinctive letter, a C surmounted by a crown, thus subjecting them to a tax. This tax applied to both objects and furniture adorned with it. It is a […]

Cartel LXV signed Levêque in Paris

June 14, 2023June 14, 2023 Mathieu Vathmahogany, cartel, Louis XV, Veneering - Marquetry, 18th century

Restoration of a Louis XV period cartel clock signed LEVEQUE A PARIS with its original movement. The surprising thing about this clock is that it is made of mahogany. And as curious as it may seem, despite the tool marks, the quality of the workmanship and the wood appear entirely authentic. With its shape and rocaille bronze mounts typical of the Louis XV style, it could therefore be a clock made from the second half of the 18th century. A precursor, then, to the appearance of mahogany in French furniture. The restoration has […]

Regency Cartel

February 9, 2023February 9, 2023 Mathieu VathBronzes, cartel, Vacuum bonding, Boulle marquetry, Veneering - Marquetry, furniture restoration

Here are some images of the restoration of a Regency period cartel clock in brown tortoiseshell and brass marquetry on an oak frame. The movement is signed CLOUZIER A PARIS. Jacques Clouzier (1692-1754) was received as a master clockmaker by awarding a masterpiece on July 5, 1692. He was one of the greatest Parisian clockmakers of the Louis XIV and Regency periods. He became a member of the clockmakers' guild in the 1700s, then worked on Rue Saint-Antoine until 1726 and later on Rue des Prêtres Saint-Paul. He remained active until his death […]

Label signed "Louis David Carré in Paris"«

February 22, 2020May 31, 2021 Mathieu VathBronzes, cartel, oak, Vacuum bonding, graft, Brass, Boulle marquetry, furniture restoration, French polish

After several weeks of work, the restoration of this clock is finally complete. It is a Louis XV period clock in brown tortoiseshell and brass marquetry, with rosewood restorations. The dial is by Louis David Carré, nephew of Jullien le Roy, who became a master craftsman on December 31, 1748. Lodged at the Louvre from 1744, he was elected a juror in 1775. The greatest treasure of this clock lies in its bronze mounts. They are truly magnificent, and above all, they are in very good condition. There is only […]

Alexandre Morell's Boulle Cartel

May 2, 2019May 31, 2021 Mathieu VathMarquetry, Boulle marquetry, furniture restoration

Here is my first client, patient… well, whatever you want to call him. It's a Boulle marquetry cartel clock in brown tortoiseshell, ebony, and brass. As you can see in the following photos, it's not in very good condition. There are many missing brass pieces, and the remaining brass is peeling off everywhere. At first glance, it's always difficult to precisely date a Boulle cartel clock: this one doesn't have a maker's mark. However, it does have corkscrew screws (typical of the 18th century […]