The Royal Boulle Marquetry Commode by Blake

This monumental Boulle commode was crafted by Robert Blake, one of the finest and most important English cabinetmakers of his time. It is modeled after the legendary pair of commodes made for France’s King Louis XIV by master ébéniste André-Charles Boulle, which is perhaps the most famous and esteemed of all the treasures now housed at the Palace of Versailles. Constructed of ebony and enveloped on all sides with phenomenal tortoiseshell and doré bronze marquetry and ormolu mounts of undeniable skill and artistry, this commode is the pinnacle of furniture craftsmanship. The original commodes made by Boulle inspired re-interpretations by history’s most esteemed craftsmen. First created and supplied in 1708 by Boulle for Louis XIV’s bed chamber at Versailles, the original pair was one of only four furnishings deemed worthy enough to be rescued from both destruction and sale after the French Revolution. They were placed in the Bibliothèque Mazarine at the Institut de France, where they b