Bernard Molitor

Who was Bernard Molitor?

Bernard Molitor 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 in 1787, he became maître ébéniste and member of the guild of cabinet-makers. He opened a workshop in the Rue de Bourbon. 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 impériale.