Biography

German-born French cabinet-maker in the Louis XVI period. Nothing is known about his training. He was established in Paris in 1777 and became a maître-ébéniste (master cabinet-maker) in 1778.

He specialised in small refined pieces, with the fine lines, and often decorated pieces of furniture lacquers and porcelains, pedestal tables, worktables and consoles. He produced Neoclassical-style furniture using mainly plain veneers instead of pictorial marquetry. He also frequently made furniture set with lacquer or pietre dure panels or Sèvres porcelain plaques, to obtain distinctive effects.

Weisweiler worked mainly for middlemen who sold his works to members of the French court, including Queen Marie-Antoinette, the king of Naples, and England's Prince Regent (later George IV).