19th Century Country French Normandy Louis Philippe Period Buffet a Deux Corps in Stripped Oak

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A 19th century Country French Normandy Louis Philippe period buffet à deux corps crowned with an arched top known as … Read more A 19th century Country French Normandy Louis Philippe period buffet à deux corps crowned with an arched top known as a chapeau de gendarme, named for its resemblance to the gendarme's hat. Popular during the era, an arched top and bonnet take great craftsmanship to create, and the bonnet is skillfully carved with a central medallion of flowers framed by flowering vines. The carving continues across all four doors in garlands, ribbons, and medallions filled with baskets of flowers, very much in the style of Normandy, with floral carving so fine it resembles embroidery. Fluted stiles separate each pair of doors, and the lower case rests on a scalloped apron centered by a carved flower basket, raised on cabriole legs ending in scroll feet.
Crafted of solid oak with pegged mortise and tenon joinery and raised panel doors, the upper cabinet opens to a spacious shelf, and the lower cabinet offers two drawers with iron ring pulls above a generous shelf. Elegant escutcheons and tall fiche hinges complete the doors. A lovely patina is revealed in the oak, painstakingly stripped using our proprietary process that retains the patina and sheer natural beauty of the old wood, all performed by our expert in-house staff.
The Louis Philippe period, from 1830 to 1848, celebrated the natural beauty of wood and well balanced proportions. Normandy cabinetmakers of the time carried their cherished tradition of floral carving into buffets à deux corps made for the farmhouse dining room, where they held linens, pewter, and faience. Village workshops that carved the region's celebrated marriage armoires brought the same flower baskets and garlands to buffets, creating furniture meant to be passed from one generation to the next.
Today it brings warmth and height to a kitchen, dining room, or family room, holding dinnerware, table linens, or a collection of cookbooks. The pale oak and graceful carving suit a European country interior as beautifully as a light, contemporary space.
Circa 1840s
Measures 94H x 55.5W x 20.5D
Available at Inessa Stewart's Antiques, Dallas Design District, Dallas, Texas. See less