Jean Ferdinand Schwerdfeger

Johann Ferdinand Josef Schwerdfeger , also Jean-Ferdinand-Joseph Schwerdfeger (* 1734 ; † March 10, 1818 ) was a German cabinet maker who worked in Paris from 1760 ; his work can be traced back to 1790. He was maître from 1786 .

Appreciation

Schwerdfeger belongs to the large community of German craftsmen of the second half of the 18th century who, in order to escape the ailing economic situation and the constraints of the German guild system, emigrated to Paris. a. made furniture for the French court. He is one of the most important cabinetmakers of the period of transition from the style of Louis XVI to Empire Style , which shaped the development of the furniture in the 18th century in France significantly.

In addition to Schwerdfeger, there are Christoph Wolff (1720–1795), Matthias Wilhelm Cramer († 1804), Joseph Stockel (1734–1802), Johann Heinrich Riesener (1734–1809), Jean Georges Schlichtig (1736–1782), Adam Weisweiler († 1820) ), Carl Erdmann Richter and Kaspar Schneider among the best-known German cabinet makers in Paris from around 1780 to 1790, most of whom lived in the Parisian districts of Faubourg Saint-Antoine and Quinze-vingts and the suburb of Montreuil .

plant

Only a few stamped works by Schwerdfeger have survived. Johann Ferdinand Schwerdfeger made his most famous furniture for Marie Antoinette around 1787 . She ordered a furniture ensemble from Bonnefoy-Duplan based on designs by Dugourc during the time of the l'affaire du collier de la reine ( collar affair ) as a separate order for her private Garde-Meuble .

The ensemble was separated by one of the expert commissions that sold the estate of the orphaned castles of the ci-devants and is now in three different locations. Two pieces, the console and a small desk are in the first floor bedroom of the Petit Trianon in Versailles . Two more, the secretary ( Secrétaire à abattant ) and a small chest of drawers are in the Museum of Fine Art in Boston . Another table from the ensemble is located in Sèvres in the Musée National de Ceramique de Sèvres .

The body is made of oak and veneered in mahogany. Marble slabs form the upper end. The pieces of furniture characterized by gilt magical bronzes which the maître bronzier Pierre-Philippe Thomire (* 1751; † 1843) are attributed. The lattice-shaped openwork capitals and woven, alternately matt and brilliantly contrasting bronze work have a special quality . This type of bronze can be found on all parts of the ensemble. Another special feature is the table in the Musée National de Ceramique de Sèvres, which has a table top made of Porcelain de Sèvres in Wedgwood style.

literature

• Ledux-Lebard Denise, Le Mobilier Francais du XIXe Siecle 1795-1889 Dictionnaire des Ébenistes et des Menuisiers . Paris, 1989.
• Pradère Alexandre, French Furniture Makers The Art of the Ébéniste from Louis XIV to the Revolution . London, 1989.
• Lose Pierre, Les Meubles Francais du XVIII Siècle . Paris, 1955.

Web links

• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston