Pair of French Napoleon III Figural Ormolu and Porcelain Mounted Side-Cabinets

A Very Fine French Napoleon III Figural Ormolu and Porcelain (Probably Sevres) Mounted Tulipwood Meuble A Hauteur D'Appui, by Mathieu Befort, dit Befort Jeune. The rectangular shaped...

A very fine French 19th century Louis XVI style burr-walnut and mahogany marquetry and ormolu-mounted Military armorial Meuble D'Appui with a Veined Brèche Violette marble top, attri...

The cabinet is crafted in Napoleon III style, which is also known as Second empire style. The main material of the cabinet is ebony with dark varnish finish. The top of the cabinet iscovered with Carrara marble, which was a popular combination of that time period. The large frizes atop and the small friezes on the bottom are sculpted with beautiful and delicate pearl-shaped motifs. The pearl motif dominates in this antique French cabinet, as it features also in the framing edge of the front panels of the door. It seems like the pearl motifs become an endless source of inspiration in this French gorgeous cabinet. On either side of the front corner panels of the cabinet is an image of a man's head gilded with ormolu, built into the modillions, where flowers hang from them.The corners of a cabinet are ornated with square rosettes which are overhung by rococo curves and shells. The acanthus leaf pattern complements the decoration of the 4 front corners of the cabinet. In the central door panel there is a medallion with a painting of two women with a goat standing by a tree surrounded by forest. The porcelain picture depicts the poetic beauty of people and landscapes in the French countryside. The bright colors in the porcelain painting brings more life in to the dark stained cabinet...

This elegant cabinet exemplifies the refined aesthetic of the Napoleon III period, a time of great artistic and decorative flourishing in France. The cabinet showcases a striking com...