Very rare service cabinet / sideboard with liftable top from the early Viennese Empire period, approx. 1800 - 1810.

Very rare service cabinet / sideboard with liftable top from the early Viennese Empire period, approx. 1800 - 1810, particularly rare not only for its workmanship, style, and provenance, but also for its excellent state of preservation and valuable, compact dimensions. This service cabinet is veneered in top-quality blond walnut burl. It is ebonized in smoke black in the details and interior, using a technique typical of the period and provenance. Original caryatids and animal paw feet are sculpted and gilded with leaf. The animal paw feet are also lacquered in a delicate Pompeian green, fashionable at the time following archaeological discoveries whose echo spread throughout Europe. This particular detail distinguishes the most desirable and precious Viennese Empire furniture, mostly commissioned by the high nobility. To appreciate the quality of the piece, observe how the master cabinetmaker of the time selected and cut the walnut veneers, which, unusually, naturally incorporate shades of green in perfect harmony with the lacquering of the feet. This occurred very rarely in Europe for walnut trees of particular quality that grow in special conditions and incorporate minimal amounts of chlorophyll into the trunk and branches. The dimensions, which are very appreciable, are 88 cm in height when closed (with the top open to its maximum extension, the piece measures 137 cm in maximum height). The maximum width is 70.5 cm. The maximum depth is 56.5 cm. The lower compartment, inside, is 65 cm wide and 48 cm deep. As described, the work is in museum-like condition of practical integrity, in original patina, masterfully French polished with shellac using museum-standard techniques. Also perfect for a small, luxurious apartment and also for insertion into a context of high-end modern furnishings. In accordance with the provisions of the New Code of Cultural Heritage, the selling company provides, simultaneously with the sale, a detailed written photographic guarantee of originality and provenance of the works sold. The data with which the works are described and then contained in the written guarantees are expressed determinations, the result of accurate, in-depth and documented technical/historical/artistic investigations.