Antique 19th C. French Louis XV Vernis Martin Ormolu Serpentine Vitrine Cabinet

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Antique 19th C. French Louis XV Vernis Martin Ormolu Serpentine Vitrine Cabinet

A 19th century French Louis XV-style Vernis Martin … Read more Antique 19th C. French Louis XV Vernis Martin Ormolu Serpentine Vitrine Cabinet

A 19th century French Louis XV-style Vernis Martin vitrine cabinet, circa 1880. The serpentine, bow-front case is crowned with a shaped, pierced gilt-bronze cresting above a glazed door and canted glass sides, opening to a fitted interior with two glass display shelves against the original silk damask lining. The lower door is centered with a hand-painted Vernis Martin panel — the lacquer-inspired technique perfected by the Martin brothers in 18th-century Paris — depicting a courting couple in a wooded garden setting within a shaped cartouche, flanked by scrollwork ormolu mounts; the side panel similarly features a hand-painted rustic landscape scene. Rich gilt-bronze rocaille mounts trace the crest, door surround, and apron throughout, culminating in cabriole legs terminating in scrolled sabot feet. Complete with working lock.
This is a beautifully crafted example of the Vernis Martin tradition — furniture and objets treated as painted canvases, prized by 19th-century French collectors who revived the technique to evoke the height of Rococo elegance. A striking display piece for fine porcelain, silver, or objets d'art.

Dimensions : 68" H 29" W 15" D See less