Antique Cabinets - Item 1031
Renaissance Cabinet

Item 1031 Two-Piece Renaissance Buffet Cabinet Dimensions Width 55½, Height 74, Depth 22½ Wood Solid walnut Country France Date Circa 1880 Price $5,295 Description This antique, two-piece buffet cabinet (bahut deux corps) dates from the 19th century when it was made from solid walnut in northern France.  It has two doors in the top section along with two doors and two drawers in the bottom section.  The original keys are included.  The hand carving on the doors includes Renaissance stylistic elements such as arches, ornamental feathers and an overall rectilinear design incorporating carved half-moon and “sand pile” motifs – all characteristic of the French styles known as Henri II and Louis  XIII.  On the drawers is an interlacing circular pattern.  The piece is framed, top and bottom, by balusters and columns, and has a richly moulded cornice complementing the base moulding.  At one point, it may have had a pediment, but this is no longer extant.  Overall, the effect is one of a pleasing symmetry of design and elaboration.  The fondness for these design elements arose concurrently with the Gothic Revival in France when furniture makers sought to modernize designs on view at museums and expositions using old-growth walnut of incomparable grain and hue.  For other pieces with rectilinear design elements, see cabinet 1024. Reference Fligny, Laurence, Le Mobilier en Picardie 1200-1700  (Picard Editeur, Paris, 1990); Rousseau, Francis, Le Grand Livre des Meubles (Copyright Studio, Paris, 1999) Uses The buffet cabinet is well-suited to a dining room, kitchen or living room.