Outstanding Neo-renaissance Cabinet, France, Circa 1870

An outstanding carved walnut cabinet in the Renaissance style. The upper part consists in two stages with arcades, divided in six compartments by rich columns with Corinthian capitals, and topped by a carved entablature. The lower part opens with three doors, ornated with masks, hybrid figures and foliates, and relies on four strong feet.

Commentary :
This cabinet, probably executed for an amateur or a collector, is a perfect model for the neo-Renaissance style, that rose in the 1830’s, in France with the designers Claude-Aimé Chenavard (1798-1838) and Michel Liénard (1810-1870). It came some years after the Gothic Revival, but met a longer success during the 19th century (at the Expositions des Produits de l’industrie in 1844 and 1849, and at the Universal Exhibitions in 1855, 1867 and 1878). Inspiration was found in the French Renaissance, more specifically in the art of Henri II’s reign, and cabinet-makers used dark carved woods to bring it to life.