Martin Ohneberg

Place: Paris

Born: 1739

Biography:

Martin Ohneberg was an ébéniste (cabinet maker) from France, born in Paris in 1739. He obtained his letters of maîtrise (mastery) in Paris on July 7, 1773. During the reign of Louis XVI, he ran a very active workshop located at rue Traversière-Saint-Antoine, 'à gauche par la Grande-rue'. He later moved to cour de la Juiverie, where he still lived in the spring of 1798. Ohneberg worked for many fashionable merchants and produced his works with care, in a sober and light style. He was known for his gracious marquetries with flower and trophy designs. He used to collaborate with Étienne Garin, a fondeur (bronze caster) located rue de Charenton. Ohneberg's pieces are often stamped with his name: M. OHNEBERG. The Chaalis collections, bequeathed to the Institut by Mme Édouard André, include a small lady's bureau made of bois de rose (rosewood) stamped with Ohneberg's mastery mark. Many of his pieces have marquetries with flower and trophy designs. For example, a demi-lune commode and a secrétaire (desk) with similar decorations are known.