Rufus Bird (Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art), Mia Jackson (Curator of Decorative Arts, Waddesdon Manor) and Helen Jacobsen (Curator of French 18th-century Decorative Arts, The Wallace Collection)

Three of the most important collections of Riesener furniture in the world are in Britain. In the second talk in our series, speakers from the Wallace Collection, Royal Collection and Waddesdon Manor will discuss some of the 30 pieces in their care. These include celebrated works made for Marie-Antoinette, Louis XVI and the French royal family that demonstrate the extraordinary levels of skilled craftsmanship achieved in the Riesener workshop and the design sophistication of which Riesener was capable. Our speakers will consider the popularity of French royal furniture in Britain in the 19th century and will illustrate the talk with stunning new photography from all three collections, revealing findings from the collaborative Riesener Project and shedding new light on both Riesener's techniques and the provenance of some of the furniture.

The Wallace Collection is delighted to present this talk as part of a series of three evening talks on Riesener, in collaboration with the Furniture History Society. 

For a 2021 exhibition on Riesener at Waddesdon Manor please see:

https://waddesdon.org.uk/whats-on/riesener-furniture-and-the-rothschilds/

Publication: 'Jean-Henri Riesener: Cabinetmaker to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette' (Hardback) 

https://wallacecollectionshop.org/collections/books/products/jean-henri-riesener-cabinetmaker-to-louis-xvi-and-marie-antoinette-hardback

For more information on the Royal Collection Trust Riesener trail: https://www.rct.uk/collection/themes/Trails/jean-henri-riesener