The Master of the Louis XVI Style In the gilded era of late eighteenth-century France, few names commanded as much prestige within the royal workshops as Jean Henri Riesener. An eminent German ébéniste, or cabinetmaker, Riesener brought a level of meticulous artistry to Paris that would eventually define the early Neoclassical aesthetic known as the Louis XVI style. His journey from the Electorate of Cologne to the heart of the French court is a narrative of unparalleled skill and social ascent. After moving to Paris and apprenticing under the celebrated Jean-François Oeben, Riesener did mor…