19th Century Lit Clos Breton Cupboard

A 19th century very decorative cupboard made from the front of a closed bed in solid poplar. The decoration, brass studs and carvings are typical for the region of Cornouaille, Brittany in France. The cupboard has been mounted on a later base and it opens with two large sliding doors. The cupboard enclosing two large fixed shelves. lovely warm patina. In Brittany, essentially, the closed bed was a piece of furniture that combined the functions of bed, wardrobe, chest and bench. It was the main furniture of the residence or the farm. But, we also find the closed bed in the peasant soils of other French regions (massif central in particular). The Breton peasants in their farms most often had only one large room where the closed beds were arranged in a row against the side walls or against the back wall opposite the fireplace (Trustel: front of the cupboards). Decorations and ornaments were mainly reserved for the sliding panels of the bed. The main ornaments were rosettes in cart wheels (wooden spindles) mainly in Cornouaille, and heads of copper nails arranged on the edges of the panels (seen frequently in Bigouden country) and sometimes even marquetry among the most affluent. The golden or copper nails could even form inscriptions such as the names and the date of the marriage of the spouses. Height: 190cm (74.8in) Width: 180cm (70.9in) Depth: 46cm (18.1in)