According to his contemporaries, this ornamental sculptor invented “contrast in ornaments” for this ornamental
sculptor. Adept in measured asymmetry, playing subtly between fullness and voids, he distinguished himself in areas as diverse as woodwork, façade sculpture, architecture, printing, furniture, gold and silver work… In 1716,
he was called to St. Petersburg by Czar Peter the Great, to work on the ornamentation of the Peterhof palace. Back in Paris in 1728, he worked for the Parisian nobility and Louis XV, while sending models to Germany and
Russia.
By comparing drawings, most if which are on view for the first time with pieces of woodwork and objects from the Museum’s collection, this exhibition offers an unprecedented dive into the workshop of Rocaille art.