Overview
A cabinet of extraordinary scale and decorative ambition - burr walnut, marquetry and ormolu throughout, made in the 19th century manner. At 204cm wide and 234cm tall, this is a piece of architectural presence: the burr walnut ground, marquetry inlay, Sèvres-style porcelain plaques, and ormolu mounts combining to create one of the most completely decorated cabinets we have offered.
Key Features
- Architectural scale - 204cm wide × 234cm tall
- Quartered burr walnut veneer with grain matched continuously across all surfaces
- Marquetry inlay throughout - scrolling foliage, flowers, ribbon-tied bouquets and classical urns in satinwood, tulipwood and fruitwood
- Central glazed display cabinet with two arched doors and two bow-fronted glazed wings
- Gold silk damask interior lining throughout - upper and lower, central and curved wings
- Sèvres-style porcelain plaques and medallion mounts — all intact
- Ormolu mounts in extraordinary density — figural female caryatids, foliate mounts, egg-and-dart plinth moulding
- All doors open, close and lock correctly - curved glass to bow-fronted wings intact
Craftsmanship & Detail
The burr walnut ground is laid in quartered panels across the flat surfaces, the figuring matched at every join so that the grain flows continuously across doors, stiles and friezes without interruption. Over this ground, marquetry inlay covers every available surface — worked in a palette of amber, gold and warm brown that harmonises entirely with the burr walnut beneath. The sides of the lower bow sections carry particularly fine marquetry panels: a classical urn spilling flowers and foliage in a composition of considerable artistic quality. The interior of the entire cabinet is lined throughout in gold silk damask with gilt-trimmed shelves — the kind of interior that makes whatever you place inside it look important. Figural female caryatid mounts anchor the corners of the lower section, with foliate and floral mounts punctuating the stiles throughout. Every mount is present and secure.
- Lee Hawkins, Hawkins Antiques · Est. 1960
