Riesener, Jean-Henri

Riesener, Jean-Henri

Jewel casket on a stand, veneered with mahogany, sycamore, and purplewood, by Jean-Henri Riesener, …

(credit: Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London)

(born July 4, 1734, Gladbeck, Münster—died Jan. 6, 1806, Paris, Fr.) French cabinetmaker. Son of an usher in the law courts of the elector of Cologne, he joined a workshop in Paris and became its head when his master died. In 1774 he was made royal cabinetmaker and from then on was the regular supplier of furniture to Marie-Antoinette. His preferred wood was mahogany; occasionally he used lacquer and mother-of-pearl to enrich his surfaces. His furniture exemplified the Louis XVI style.