Antique Cabinets - Item 4113
Renaissance Cabinet (Confiturier)

Item 4113 Renaissance Confiturier Cabinet Dimensions Width 29, Height 38, Depth 23 (in inches) Wood Solid walnut Country France Date Circa 1870 Price $3895 Description Although relatively tiny, this cabinet is chock full of pleasing elements of Renaissance design.  In overall structure it is reminiscent of a confiturier or  small cabinet in which jam (confiture) is stored.  Central to these elements is the intricately carved door containing a panel shaped as a rounded arch.  Within it are graceful swirls depicting vegetation and hanging fruit.  Such ornamentation has its roots in engravings first published in Italy and circulating in copies throughout northern France during what is termed the First Renaissance (1490-1530). The cabinet sits on bun feet below a wide moulding carved in the repeating palmette motif so popular in the borders of Renaissance tables such as number 9210.  Above that is a row of miniature gadrooning, fanning out from the center of the front of the cabinet, just below the door.  The old, reliable acanthus leaf is in evidence at the top of the vertical members comprising the two sides of the cabinet but, when viewed from the side, appears to be a scroll.  Instead of columns or pilasters for the vertical members, in keeping with the overall focus on vegetation, an overlapping leaf pattern is used to run from the top to the base. It is evident that this small cabinet was built to last and crafted in the third quarter of the 19th  century.  Made from solid walnut, and we do mean thick and solid walnut, it is heavy and sturdy despite the refinement of the carving and the other decorative elements.  It has been designed to show the beauty of the wood to its fullest, particularly the top and the sides where the richness of the grain is on view with little ornament.  Reference Boccador, Jacqueline, Le Mobilier Français du Moyen Age à la Renaissance, Editions d'Art Monelle Hayot (Saint- Just-en-Chaussée, 1988); Boussel, Patrice, Les Styles du Moyen Age à Louis XIV  (Baschet et Cie, Paris, 1979); Thirion, Jacques, Le Mobilier du Moyen Age et de la Renaissance en France (Editions Faton, Dijon, 1998)   Uses This small cabinet can fulfill a number of tasks, including in an entryway under a mirror, in a living room in place of an end table, or in a bedroom as a night stand.

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