Biography

French cabinetmaker of Dutch origin. Little is known about the life of this artist who moved to France from the Netherlands. He first worked in the area of Paris called the Temple. In this privileged enclave, craftsmen known as ouvriers libres (free workers), who were not yet members of a guild, could practice their craft without being prosecuted. In 1679 he became a naturalized French citizen, and soon afterwards he was awarded lodgings in the palace of the Louvre to work as an ébéniste (cabinetmaker) to Louis XIV. For the royal residences, Oppenordt produced furniture decorated with marquetry of tortoiseshell and brass, as well as pietre dure. He also specialized in parquet floors, producing one for the king's Petit Galerie at the palace of Versailles. His son Gilles-Marie Oppenordt also became a famous designer and architect.