Antique Genoese Coin Cabinet, 1600s

Details

Description

Antique Genoese coin cabinet from the 17th century, constructed with a walnut frame and poplar drawers veneered in walnut. A … Read more Antique Genoese coin cabinet from the 17th century, constructed with a walnut frame and poplar drawers veneered in walnut. A Louis XIV walnut coin cabinet with twenty-one drawers and a central tabernacle door, Liguria, 17th century. The front features an architectural layout delineated by two vertical rows of four drawers, each punctuated by a double frame. At the center, the base of the aedicule conceals a false drawer; above it, between two Doric columns, in a niche within the central aedicule, is the carved figure of a standing faun. Above this, a pediment with a broken tympanum conceals another drawer; at the center of the tympanum is a diabolical image that is repeated in the casting of each handle. The side edges are decorated with three orders of men-at-arms, sculpted warriors, and carved figures.

The coin cabinet rests on an imposing cornice and two bracket feet, while the upper part features a frame with a carved dentil decoration. Opening the central door reveals six drawers in two rows.

The cabinet is full of secrets: one is hidden behind the drawer in the central base; in the frame of the six drawers behind the door, we find another compartment behind the row of two lower drawers. Removing the frame from its place, we find, at the rear right corner, a compartment with three drawers hidden by the vertical sliding of a poplar panel.

This Louis XIV walnut cabinet is of Genoese origin and dates back to the 17th century. It boasts twenty-one drawers, ten on the front and six inside the central tabernacle door, as well as five drawers divided into three secret compartments.

It is in good condition for its age, with splendid original 17th-century hardware. Note the similarity between the diabolical effigy carved in the center of the pediment and the drawer handle plates. See less