Bernard Molitor, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Bernard Molitor

French master cabinetmaker of Luxembourg origin

Date of Birth: 22-Oct-1755

Place of Birth: Betzdorf, Luxembourg

Date of Death: 17-Nov-1833

Profession: cabinetmaker, master craftsman

Nationality: France

Zodiac Sign: Libra


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About Bernard Molitor

  • Bernard Molitor (22 October 1755 – 17 November 1833) was a Luxembourgish cabinet-maker. Molitor grew up in Betzdorf, Luxembourg as the son of a miller and went to Paris in 1777, where one of his cousins already worked as a cabinet-maker.
  • During his first years in Paris, he made a living as a merchant: in 1778, he advertised insecticides, and six years later he sold handwarmers shaped like books. After marrying the daughter of a charpentier du roi (carpenter of the king) in 1787, he became maĂ®tre Ă©bĂ©niste (master ÉbĂ©niste) and member of the guild of cabinet-makers.
  • He opened a workshop in the Rue de Bourbon (today Rue de Lille).
  • One of his first orders came from Marie Antoinette, who ordered the floor paneling from mahogany wood for her boudoir in Fontainebleau from him.
  • Just as Molitor had begun making a name for himself among the French nobility, the French Revolution broke out, and Molitor had to close his business as most of his clients had to flee or were killed.
  • Later, Molitor was able to reopen his business and employ several artisans who helped him create a variety of furniture, including dressers, tables, desks and cupboards.
  • Molitor's furniture was often veneered with precious woods and decorated with applications of gilded bronze.
  • Napoleon Bonaparte ordered several pieces of furniture for his residence in Saint-Cloud from him.
  • In 1811, Molitor became fournisseur de la Cour impĂ©riale (purveyor to the imperial court). In 1800, Bernard Molitor bought a house on the elegant Rue du Faubourg Saint-HonorĂ©.
  • In 1815, he married a second time, and in 1820 he moved to Fontainebleau where he died in 1833 at the age of 78 years.
  • He is buried in the Fontainebleau cemetery. In 1995, while Luxembourg was the European Capital of Culture, a retrospective brought broad public attention to Molitor's work for the first time.
  • Today, collectors pay large sums for original Molitor furniture.
  • Three pieces by Molitor are in the Royal Collection of the British Royal Family.

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