Marot’s furniture designs demonstrate a full awareness of their potential to form an imposing element of an integrated design and decoration for any interior. His designs for Imposing sculptural elements and symmetrical arrangements of furniture popularised this aesthetic of the Baroque period.
This impressive gilt table, now in the Mauritshuis, completely fits the design vocabulary also seen in drawings and engravings by Marot. It was commissioned by Princess Henriëtte Amalia van Anhalt-Dessau for Oranienstein Palace in 1709.
One of the best expressions of grand, imposing baroque furniture designs can be found in the lush and formal, canopied state beds of the period. Marot provided many variations on the classic rectangular shape of a state bed. These state bed designs showcase Marot’s talent for developing interesting arrangements, closely collaborating with various craftsmen such as weavers, furniture makers, and upholsters.
These two lacquer cabinets in Royal Palace Huis Ten Bosch were created in Japan around 1670 and were part of the collections of the House of Nassau. They are recorded at Schloss Oranienstein from 1695 onwards, where they would later receive these ornate carved baroque stands for better display. Marot popularised the use of actual Asian objects as well as Oriental patterns in the European interior. The finish of these stands refers to the black and gold contrast that can be found in the highly prized lacquerware they are supporting.
This sculpted high back bench is a rare survival of Marot’s pieces of garden furniture, which once decorated the gardens of Meer en Berg (see plan above). Such garden objects illustrate a clear unified design approach of this period, connecting the inside with the outside and including the garden as a part of the whole, instead of separating the outdoor spaces from the built architecture. This single bench is therefore almost a symbol of the aesthetic unity that was only available for the very affluent elite.
