An apprentice in the workshop of Jean-François Oeben, he married Oeben's widow, Françoise-Marguerite Vandercruse, in 1767. After becoming a master in 1768, Jean-Henri Riesener completed Oeben's unfinished works and began fulfilling new commissions. Some pieces were a collaboration between the two, such as the king’s cylinder desk, started by Oeben in 1760 and delivered to Versailles in 1769, which is a prime example.

In 1774, Riesener was appointed as the official cabinetmaker to the Crown’s Furniture Repository, replacing Gilles Joubert. His furniture is monumental, solid, and highly structured, with perfectly executed construction and precise joinery. They rest on low, sturdy legs and typically feature marquetry decoration, often in a lattice pattern, with a central circular or oval medallion displaying miniature-like scenes of birds, bouquets, or trophies. The bronze fittings, finely chiseled, complement the overall design. During this period, commodes often had a trapezoidal projection at the center, characteristic of the time. From 1780, Riesener began working with mahogany and adopted a new style, giving bronzes a lesser role in his furniture.

Riesener was Marie-Antoinette's favorite cabinetmaker, and he worked for the royal court and high-ranking dignitaries, including the daughters of Louis XV, the king’s brothers (the Count of Provence and the Duke of Artois), and various dukes like Orléans, Penthièvre, La Rochefoucauld, and Biron. His success peaked during the first ten years of Louis XVI's reign, with around 700 pieces delivered between 1774 and 1784. However, from that point, the king reduced expenditures, and more affordable cabinetmakers like Guillaume Beneman and Josef Stöckel were favored. By the mid-1780s, his royal commissions had dwindled, though he continued to work for the queen.

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