Before the mid 1760s, French material culture was stagnant—even the finest examples of wood furniture were primarily made of local timber. After Europe established an intercontinental trading system, necessitated by a 16th century timber shortage, France began to harvest colorful tropical woods from the Caribbean, Africa and Indian Ocean.  The availability of new woods along with new advancements in woodworking techniques prompted changes in the form, function and decorative style, begetting unfamiliar fashions in French furniture.

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 France’s commercial fascination with the new colonies was extreme: Brazil, named for its wood supply—an abbreviated form of Terra do Brasil or “land of brazilwood”—stands as an outlasting testament to the intense fascination and consumption of colonial wood. Even though Europe’s successful crusade for wood in the Atlantic colonies stimulated economic growth, the impact was barely represented in furniture style until the late 18th century. However, the Atlantic colonies that were exploited for their resources, were underrepresented in the stylistic and economic societies in which they ended up. Instead inspiration for consumer good decoration came from China, Japan, Persia and Turkey, flooding marquetry and veneer with allusions to a misrepresented “Orient”.

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Below is a visually stunning example of the lengths to which furniture makers incorporated these new materials in their then contemporary works.

 

 

 

The Oeben Mechanical Table (tabletop view), Jean François Oeben (1721-1763 and Roger Vandercruse (1727-1799), ca. 1761-63, French, Oak veneered with various other woods, Metalwork of Gold, Copper and Bronze, 69.9 × 81.9 × 46.7 cm, The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982. and the Claude Perron (master 1750, died in or before 1777), 1763–64, French, Paris, Gold, enamel, 1 9/16 x 3 5/16 x 2 1/2 in. (4 x 8.4 x 6.4cm), Metalwork-Gold and Platinum, Bequest of Catherine D. Wentworth, 1948, 48.187.450, On view at The Met Fifth Avenue

 

In the digitally manipulated image below, one can see a section of both the faded (left) and restored (right) marquetry patterns of the Oeben Mechanical Table. Marquetry is the art of making patterns from veneer; the effect is achieved by creating decorative accents with the thin pieces of wood, utilizing their grain and color, which are then inlaid onto a wooden surface. Marquetry made it possible for furniture to be made of one wood, likely local and inexpensive, then be covered with more exotic and expensive materials.

       

 

(Left) Fragment of The Oeben Mechanical Table (tabletop view), Jean François Oeben (1721-1763 and Roger Vandercruse (1727-1799), ca. 1761-63, French, Oak veneered with various other woods, Metalwork of Gold, Copper and Bronze, 69.9 × 81.9 × 46.7 cm, The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982. and the Claude Perron (master 1750, died in or before 1777), 1763–64, French, Paris, Gold, enamel, 1 9/16 x 3 5/16 x 2 1/2 in. (4 x 8.4 x 6.4cm), Metalwork-Gold and Platinum, Bequest of Catherine D. Wentworth, 1948, 48.187.450, On view at The Met Fifth Avenue (Right) Same image but digitally manipulated to show what the original coloring of the wood may have looked like by Emma Bippart-Butler

Click here to learn more about the individual types of wood found on the Oeben Desk:

 

Digital Composite image featuring The Oeben Mechanical Table (tabletop view), Jean François Oeben (1721-1763 and Roger Vandercruse (1727-1799), ca. 1761-63, French, Oak veneered with various other woods, Metalwork of Gold, Copper and Bronze, 69.9 × 81.9 × 46.7 cm, The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982. and the Claude Perron (master 1750, died in or before 1777), 1763–64, French, Paris, Gold, enamel, 1 9/16 x 3 5/16 x 2 1/2 in. (4 x 8.4 x 6.4cm), Metalwork-Gold and Platinum, Bequest of Catherine D. Wentworth, 1948, 48.187.450, On view at The Met Fifth Avenue and images of wood found on the desk courtesy of the wood-database.com created byEmma Bippart-Butler