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How do you explain the ‘furniture career’ of the Saint-Antoine suburb of Paris? In the 15th Century the royal abbey of Saint-Antoine des Champs, on the east of the Bastille, obtained a special exemption from the payment of heavy taxes for craftsmen working on their estate. This meant that they were able to carry on working without any restrictions. The area’s proximity to the river Seine meant that it was easy to source supplies of wood and this attracted many furniture making professionals to the area: cabinet makers, varnishers, marquetry inlayers, upholsterers, bronze workers and gilders. Paris dictionary, Larousse, 1998;
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