Renaissance Style Cabinet with Architectural Facade

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Description

Armoire ou cabinet à deux corps a Façade architecturée de style Renaissance époque XIXeme
dans le gout des Chefs d'œuvres … Read more Armoire ou cabinet à deux corps a Façade architecturée de style Renaissance époque XIXeme
dans le gout des Chefs d'œuvres de la corporation des menuisiers de Strasbourg du XVIIeme
Oak, maple, fruit trees, walnut, softwood
4 leaves in trompe l'oeil
majestically carved ironwork and locks
2 drawers in the lower section
rests on loaf feet
h224 x 181 x 64cm

History of this magnificent piece of furniture:
The cabinet as such only appeared in the early 16th century, gradually replacing the chest, the main piece of furniture of the Middle Ages. In 1571, Strasbourg's city magistrate imposed a new masterpiece on the carpenters' guild: the double-body wardrobe. These two bodies, resting on a plinth and bearing a crown, are derived from the superimposition of two chests.
Conceived as a building, the armoire is also decorated in the style of Renaissance palace facades. The marquetry motifs simulate stone facings, creating a trompe-l'œil effect. The cabinet follows the rules of the Roman architect Vitruvius: two tiers of columns, Doric at the bottom, Ionic at the top, framing feigned windows. This ancient treatise, rediscovered during the Renaissance and printed in Strasbourg as early as 1543, became the bible of ornamentalists. See less