The value of furniture by renowned cabinetmaker Adam Weisweiler

If you own a work by or after the artist Adam Weisweiler, and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will offer you their expertise. Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your work, and provide you with a precise estimate of its current market value. Then, if you wish to sell your work, we'll guide you towards the best possible arrangement to obtain the optimum price.

Rating and artist value Adam Weisweiler

Working in the second half of the 18th century and the first quarter of the 19th century, Adam Weisweiler is considered one of the most outstanding cabinetmakers of his time, distinguished by his whimsical antique-style furniture. He masterfully crafted pedestal tables, consoles, chests of drawers, secretaries and tables. The prices at which his pieces of prowess are sold range from €994 to €105,000. In 2020, a bronze pedestal table with an inlaid cookie porcelain panel sold for €70,500.

Adam Weisweiler, 18th-century cabinetmaker

Adam Weisweiler (1744-1820) came from the Rhineland, bordering the Netherlands and Belgium, where he trained in David Roentgen's studio.

He took up residence in Paris on rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine at the beginning of Louis XVI's reign, and obtained his master's title in 1778. Thanks to his talent, he quickly made a name for himself in luxury cabinetmaking, satisfying the desires of prestigious clients such as the Queen, who asked him to create a service for the royal residence at Saint Cloud.

It was once thought that he had returned to his native Germany after the fall of the Ancien Régime, but he decided to stay in Paris and overcome the economic crisis of the Terror period. At the dawn of the Empire, he abandoned his craft to enter the world of business and the furniture trade. His sometimes fanciful furniture rivals the most refined works by Riesener or Martin Carlin.

How did he mark his period?

Adam Weisweiler had relatively little contact with the Parisian clientele, and his entire production was sold through the marchand-merciers, in this case Dominique Daguerre. He also worked for the courts of Naples and Russia. At the time, marchand-merciers imported lacquer panels, which were generally transformed upon arrival in Europe and inserted into European furniture. For example, the chest of drawers in New York's Metropolitan Museum, made by Weisweiler at Daguerre's request, combines Japanese lacquer with wood on top of a frame featuring anti-Christian iconography.

Weisweiler prefers precious, exotic woods such as oak, mahogany and ebony. His mastery of detail can be seen in the addition of copper rods to the legs, which are elegantly adorned with Doric columns.

Although marquetry is not his specialty, Weisweiler incorporates decorative fragments such as Sèvres or Wedgwood porcelain plaques. These subtle ornaments mark the prestige of his art. His research continued in the vein of mechanized furniture and secret desks. The Austrian Imperial Furniture Museum, for example, exhibits the above two-leaf secretary flanked by two caryatids with inlaid porcelain medallions, made by Adam Weisweiler and once owned by Marie Antoinette, then given by Napoleon III to Charlotte of Belgium.

In the end, Weisweiler achieved success with small-scale furniture, such as the pedestal table, whose extreme rigor offset by lightness made it an epidermal success.

How to recognize the stamp?

Furniture by Adam Weisweiler is often stamped once or twice on the uprights, "A. WEISWEILER". WEISWEILER".

How do you know the value of a work of art?

If you happen to own a work by or after Adam Weisweiler, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal using the form on our website. An Auctie's expert will contact you promptly with an estimate of the value of your work, and provide you with all the relevant information. If you're thinking of selling your work, our specialists will also be on hand to help you find alternative ways of selling it at the best possible price.