George IV and French Furniture
French furniture collected by a true Francophile
Armoire
c.1700RCIN 21642
André-Charles Boulle was furniture-maker, gilder and sculptor to Louis XIV. George IV had a fondness for Boulle furniture but it wasn’t until he began refurbishing Windsor Castle in the 1820s that he acquired this enormous cabinet along with another of similar size. The king intended to place the two pieces in his Sitting Room at Windsor, but they were eventually installed in the Long Gallery (now known as the Grand Corridor), where they have remained to this day.
Pewter as well as brass is used in the marquetry while the general groundwork is comprised of turtle shell stained in various colours, as well as its natural colour.