| This thesis, a case study, explores the relationships involved in the commissioning, designing, and construction of an eighteenth-century French secretaire a abattant (fall-front desk) in the Wrightsman Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Although the fabrication of this desk has been attributed to the ebeniste (cabinetmaker), Martin Carlin, this thesis reevaluates his contribution in light of recent contextual studies of eighteenth-century French furniture that have explored the production process in its full complexity. This study investigates the interrelationships of the fabricators: cabinetmaker, bronze casters, gilders, porcelain painters, etc.; those who oversaw the production, the marchands-merciers (businessmen-dealers) Poirier and Daguerre; and the client, Mademoiselle Laguerre, an actress and a courtesan. This case study provides an alternative to the traditional concept of unique authorship and explores the interconnected roles of all those involved in the commissioning and production of this secretaire. |
