Overview
A highly decorative antique French mahogany Vernis Martin gilt-bronze display cabinet dating from circa 1890, combining richly coloured mahogany veneers, painted romantic panels, extensive gilt-bronze mounts and elegant glazed display sections.
Of tall and slender proportions, the cabinet has a wonderfully refined late-19th-century French appearance and offers strong decorative impact without requiring the floor space of a larger vitrine.
Key Features
- French display cabinet dating from circa 1890
- Mahoganyveneered construction
- Vernis Martin-style painted romantic panels
- Extensive gilt-bronze mounts and borders
- Glazed front door and glazed side panels
- Rich red velvet-lined interior
- Internal display shelves
- Highly decorative pierced gilt-bronze upper frieze
- Pierced gilt-bronze gallery to the top
- Cabriole legs with gilt-bronze mounts and sabots
- Compact and elegant tall proportions
Craftsmanship & Detail
The cabinet is raised on four elegant cabriole legs, each enriched with gilt-bronze mounts and terminating in decorative sabots. Above, the upper section is particularly impressive, with a finely modelled pierced gilt-bronze frieze incorporating scrolling foliate ornament and draped decoration, continuing around the sides beneath an ornate pierced gallery.
The principal glazed door opens to reveal a deep red velvet-lined interior with display shelves, providing an excellent backdrop for porcelain, glass, silver, objets d’art or a specialist collection. The glazed side panels allow light to pass through the cabinet from several directions and give the piece a more open and elegant presentation.
Below the main glazing is a finely painted Vernis Martin-style romantic scene depicting an elegantly dressed couple within a pastoral landscape. Further painted landscape panels appear to the lower side sections, all surrounded by delicate gilt-bronze borders and contrasting beautifully against the rich mahogany.
The combination of cabinetmaking, decorative painting and finely worked gilt-bronze ornament reflects the opulent French revival taste of the late nineteenth century and makes this an especially decorative vitrine for both traditional and contemporary interiors.
