19th Century French Napoleon III Secret Book Liquor Cellarette- 9 Pieces

Details

Description

Ooh la la! A rare find. This 19th C. French Napoleon III faux-book cellarette is of unusually large size, about … Read more Ooh la la! A rare find. This 19th C. French Napoleon III faux-book cellarette is of unusually large size, about twice the size of others you will find online or at auction.

An intoxicating cabinet known as a cave a liqueur en trompe l'oeil de faux livres, or a false books liquor cabinet. The leather is exquisitely hand tooled inside and out with gilt lettering on the books and with red and black and gilt accents.

Quite unusual in that it has a few functional, turnable top pages taken from the Dictionnaire Universel, Vol. II, published in 1760. A very unusual feature (that I didn't discover for a few weeks!) is that after turning a few pages you will find a hidden keyhole used to facilitate locking the cellarette! Kept the liquor away from those 18th century kids and the staff, I suppose. Perhaps you can find a key that works.

There is a removable two handled mahogany tray that holds two gilt and cut glass decanters and five gilt and cut glass tumblers. This is as found from a Palm Springs estate.

You can find many smaller faux-book cellarettes available but one of this size is quite scarce. and with functional pages and a hidden keyhole! This one measures 16.25 inches x 10.25 inches x 10 inches high. One that is literally half this size (5.7" L x 8.2" W x 6.8" H) sold for $2,250 at an auction in Colorado in 2022. It had no turnable pages, no locking mechanism and was in worse condition!

There are some condition issues commensurate with the antiquity of this piece, which surely was a well used and loved possession. It does not affect the functionality of the box. There are some worm holes, crackling and losses to the leather, mainly on both ends of the top "book". Please see the photos. Chairish limits the photos to twelve; I can send you additional photos if condition is a concern. But once you possess it I am pretty certain you will find that it doesn't detract from the overall beauty of the piece.

I pack all my items very carefully to insure it arrives to your home or office intact. It will be sent insured, with adult signature required upon delivery, from Sebastopol, CA. See less