Ref.15058
Neo-Renaissance cabinet, circa 1870

This neo-Renaissance cabinet in carved solid walnut was made around 1870. Its four enameled plaques, of large size and high quality of execution, make it an exceptional piece of furniture. The 19th century was fond of resuming and reinterpreting the art of the past, such as works from the Renaissance here. The lower part of the piece of furniture, open on three sides, is surmounted by a belt housing an enameled plaque on copper, decorated with foliage and a mask recalling the renaissance fashion for grotesques. Its upper part is organized around two doors decorated with elaborately shaped enameled plaques representing Mars, the god of war, and Diana, the goddess of the hunt. Enamel painting and grisaille appeared during the Renaissance. The enameler was also inspired by Renaissance enameled plaques representing Mars and Justice painted by Pierre Courteys in 1559, today in the National Renaissance Museum. On either side, the composite fluted pilasters are reminiscent of the renewed interest of Renaissance artists in classical art. Doors open onto olive-wood veneered shelves and drawers. The inside of the right door bears the stamp of the Parisian art locksmith Huby Fils. The latter participated in the Exhibition of Applied Fine Arts of 1865, where he received a gold medal, and in the Universal Exhibition of 1867. The crowning of the cabinet is composed of two facing volutes, decorated with foliage and a shell, as well as a rounded cartouche surrounded by flowers. Our cabinet is part of the suite of furniture decorated with enameled plaques designed by Hippolyte Sauvrezy in collaboration with the enameler Claudius Popelin, like the one which, presented at the Universal Exhibition of 1867, is today kept at the Musée d'Orsay .