MAHOGANY COMMODE EMPIRE STYLE WITH GILT BRONZE, CA 1880.
Antiques - Furniture
Reference: Z3393
Empire style chest of drawers in mahogany and gilt bronze, circa 1880. Chest of five drawers with garland fittings, key locks and decorated lock shields, on semi-spherical legs and a top in dark stone. The front is flanked by two stipes with a female capital under a plant motif and a base resembling women's feet. It is made of mahogany palm and the fittings are in high-quality gilded bronze. Details such as the purity of the furniture's lines, its clear geometric shape, the angles, the presence of the caryatids on the front and the smooth back, the centralisation of the relief in the gilded bronze appliqués, the use of mahogany and the inspiration from classical antiquity (Greek and Roman) place the chest of drawers within the Empire style. This dominated all French arts at the beginning of the 19th century during the government of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), and was one of the most important inspirations for the Second Empire style, which was born under the government of Napoleon III and was very successful between approximately 1860 and 1880. The work stands out for the high quality of its wood and the perfection of its bronzes, both in its reliefs and in the gilding. These French metal ornaments were the most highly regarded in cabinetmaking for their quality, due to the strict control established by the central power over the guilds responsible for their production, in which the specialization of the different workshops necessary for their creation and subsequent sale to master cabinetmakers in particular or to other merchants who, on occasions, exported them, stands out. Although it is true that it is not a commissioned piece of furniture but one made following a system somewhat more similar to mass production, in all cases they were important works destined for the houses of the main families both for the materials used in them and for following the aesthetic novelties of the time.
· Size: 110x58,5x90 cms.
3.000 €
