The Heart of French Cabinetmaking During the Ancien Régime with Boulle and Roussel

The paths taken by the BTP (Buildings and Public Works) can lead to new heights. After making a tidy fortune in this sector, the unobtrusive and cultured René Simeoni took delight in assembling a collection of 80-odd pieces of 18th-century furniture, which he found with leading Parisian antique dealers in this field. He kept this collection in his home in Yvelines, and it was discovered during a standard estate inventory by Hugues Taquet, an auctioneer based in Mantes-la-Jolie. Taquet admits that he had absolutely no idea it existed, but immediately felt "certain that he was seeing some extraordinary pieces of cabinetwork." And the signatures were a positive dream, lining up three of the most outstanding names of the time—notably Bernard II Van Riesenburgh (c. 1705-1766), the famous BVRB, the creator of two writing tables in tulipwood and kingwood marquetry: elegant pieces each estimated at €30,000 to €50,000. These are called "à la Pompadour" because an absolutely identical example can be seen in François Boucher's famous painting…