Marchand-mercier

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A marchand-mercier is a French term for a type of craftsman working outside the guild system. The term literally means a merchant of goods. In the 18th century marchands-merciers were shopkeepers but they also played an important role in the decoration of Paris homes. In fact, they served as general contractors, assembling pieces of the most fashionable furniture, and often, in addition, worked outside of their shops as interior decorators, responsible for many aspects of a room's decor. In Paris, the guild system, in place since the late Middle Ages, prohibited a craftsman from working with a material with which they had not undergone a formal apprenticeship. Only a marchand-mercier who worked outside of the guild system, therefore, could mount Chinese porcelains with gilt-bronze handles and stands, fit the cabinetmaker's furniture with Japanese lacquer or Sevres porcelain plaques, and supply furniture with opulent gilt-bronze (or ormolu mounts. (It should be noted however that there were certain cabinetmakers who, either by license of the king or due to their status as non-French nationals, also worked outside of the guild system.)