The Master of Versailles: The Life and Legacy of Gilles Joubert In the gilded corridors of eighteenth-century France, where the splendor of the Rococo era reached its most decadent heights, few names commanded as much respect as Gilles Joubert. Born in Paris in 1689 into a world shaped by the artistic rigor of his sculptor father, Joubert was destined to become more than a mere craftsman; he was an architect of luxury. His journey into the heart of French decorative arts began with a profound apprenticeship under the legendary Jean-François Oeben, a mentorship that infused his work with an u…