18th Century Dutch Marquetry Walnut Cabinet on Chest

About the Item

This is a superb antique Dutch marquetry walnut cabinet on chest, circa 1780 in date. It has been accomplished in walnut with exquisite hand-cut walnut, boxwood and fruitwood floral marquetry typical of the period. The cabinet has a single glazed door and glazed sides so as to display your collectables perfectly and it stands on a bombe' serpentine fronted marquetry chest of drawers. The chest features fabulous marquetry bouquet of floral marquetry on each side which highlights the beauty of this piece. It has beautiful chased ormolu handles and escutcheons and is complete with the original working steel locks and keys. This exceptional piece represents a fantastic example of 18th century Dutch marquetry cabinetry at its very finest. Condition: In excellent condition having been beautifully restored in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 192 x width 113 x depth 57. Dimensions in inches: Height 6 feet, 4 inches x width 3 feet, 8 inches x depth 1 foot, 10 inches. Marquetry is decorative artistry where pieces of material (such as wood, pewter or brass silver) of different colours are inserted into surface wood veneer to form intricate patterns such as scrolls or flowers. The technique of veneered marquetry had its inspiration in 16th century Florence. Marquetry elaborated upon florentine techniques of inlaying solid marble slabs with designs formed of fitted marbles, jaspers and semi-precious stones. This work, called opere di commessi, has medieval parallels in Central Italian "Cosmati"-work of inlaid marble floors, altars and columns. The technique is known in English as Pietra Dura, for the "hardstones" used: onyx, jasper, cornelian, lapis lazuli and colored marbles. In Florence, the Chapel of the Medici at San Lorenzo is completely covered in a colored marble facing using this demanding jig-sawn technique. Techniques of wood marquetry were developed in Antwerp and other Flemish centers of luxury cabinet-making during the early 16th century. The Craft was imported full-blown to France after the mid-seventeenth century, to create furniture of unprecedented luxury being made at the royal manufactory of the Gobelins, charged with providing furnishings to decorate Versailles and the other royal residences of Louis XIV. Early masters of French marquetry were the Fleming Pierre Golle and his son-in-law, André-Charles Boulle, who founded a dynasty of royal and Parisian cabinet-makers (ébénistes) and gave his name to a technique of marquetry employing brass with pewter in arabesque or intricately foliate designs.

Dimensions:

Height: 75.6 in (192 cm)Width: 44.49 in (113 cm)Depth: 22.45 in (57 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Walnut,Marquetry

Place of Origin:

Netherlands

Period:

1780-1789

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1780

Condition:

Seller Location: