Commode

Pierre-Antoine Foullet was an ébéniste who followed his father, Antoine, into the furniture trade in the 1760s. The Parisian guild, Corporation des Menuisiers-Ebénistes, conferred master status on him in 1765. This piece has the guild's stamp, "JME," above his signature under the marble top.

An ébéniste was a cabinetmaker who specialized in veneered furniture. In the case of this commode, or chest of drawers, Foullet applied the marquetry technique to decorate the wood surfaces. He cut thin layers of multicolored wood into patterns that fit together to create images. In this commode, the central medallion depicts a pastoral scene and is framed by floral bouquets. The other medallions contain urns of flowers. The commode is also decorated with bands of gilded bronze  that surround the marquetry, create the frieze-like band around the top, and accent the edges and legs. Below the central medallion, Foullet mounted an image of a brulé parfum, which was a pot used to burn pastilles that perfumed the air.