Charles Topino, maître in 1773.
Established in the rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, Topino specialized in the production of light furniture enriched with marquetry, either in the form of flowers or 'naif' still-lives inspired by the borders of Chinese screens. He was often employed as a specialist marqueteur by marchands such as Héricourt, Dautriche, Migeon, Denizot, Delorme, Tuart, Boudin and Moreau. Topino also had a thriving career as a supplier of marquetry panels to his fellow ébénistes such as Pioniez and Nicolas Petit as well as the marchand-ébéniste, Léonard Boudin. The two collaborated very closely and Boudin's livre de commandes refers to a significant number of tables à marqueterie de vases, supplied by Topino between 1772 and 1774. As a specialist marqueteur, Topino's oeuvre was often obscured by the work of his fellow ébénistes as their stamp would be on the furniture that incorporated his marquetry panels. As his daybook for the years 1771-79 clearly reveals, Topino had very few private clients.