JEAN-GUILLAUME BENEMAN (1750-1811) Reçu Maître le 3 septembre 1785

FRANCE, CONSULATE PERIOD EMBROIDERING TOOL Mahogany, blackened wood, bronze H. 75 cm, W. 145 cm, D. 46 cm As shown in the 1763 painting by François-Hubert Drouais of Madame de Pompadour (Fig. 1), the embroidery loom was indispensable to women of the time. As a piece of furniture of great value to its user, it was considered a furnishing object in its own right and its exterior appearance could be richly decorated with paint or varnish (Fig. 2) or sumptuously adorned with bronzes (Fig. 3). It could also be of a great sobriety like the one we present. Mahogany was Beneman's favourite wood and his production included both modest furniture for secondary apartments and luxury models for large salons. Appointed ordinary cabinetmaker of the Crown Furniture in the place of Jean-Henri Riesener, he received the protection of Queen Marie Antoinette.