Charles TOPINO (circa 1742-1803):
First a master free workman of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, he received his master’s degree on July 4, 1773 and became deputy of his own Jurande. He made furniture for France and abroad, mainly in the Transition or Louis XVI style. These are light furniture (Bonheur-du-jour, chiffonnière, a number of lounge tables of various shapes, Louis XVI half-moon chest of drawers, etc.). His personality is mainly expressed in his work of marquetry (various utensils, bunch of flowers, baskets, writing desks, garlands of flowers, scenes of landscapes, …) most probably inspired by the borders of Coromandel’s lacquerware. His technique can be compared to the intarsia of the Italian Renaissance. He works for merchant thankers and cabinet makers. He went bankrupt in 1789.
