Painted two-door cabinet, dated 1804
A refined example of Continental cabinetmaking and decoration: this two-door cabinet from 1804 represents a precious testimony in the category of antique painted furniture, combining structural rigor with a figurative pictorial apparatus of great conservative charm.
Technical information:
Period: dated 1804
Provenance: Allgäu
Wood: Fir
Height: 192 cm
Width: 144 cm (176 cm at the cornices)
Depth: 55 cm (70 cm at the cornices)
Description:
Exceptional painted cabinet structured with a two-door front and chamfered sides. The upper part features a shaped pediment, centered by a projecting cartouche bearing the dating "1804".
The surface is treated with a gray-blue background tone, on which the pictorial decoration is applied. The doors and side panels feature rectangular geometric panels defined by moldings and dark fillets. Within the four panels on the doors are depicted as many architectural landscapes of an idealized taste, characterized by towers, castles, fortifications, and villages set in hilly contexts, executed in gray and white monochrome on an ochre-orange background.
The junction areas of the structure, particularly the band below the pediment and the median portion between the upper and lower panels, are enriched with polychrome garlands and floral tendrils, dominated by shades of pink, red, and leaf green. The chamfered sides and flanks repeat the same geometric and decorative layout.
The furniture preserves its original hardware, including the large escutcheons and visible wrought iron hinges with openwork, positioned at the central rebate. Particularly refined are the escutcheons, which feature finely chased crescent decorations with anthropomorphic details, and the lock, complete with key and perfectly functional.
The base rests on flattened onion feet, which support the entire structure, preserving its slender and balanced line.
Internally, the cabinet retains its original arrangement, with the original vertical partition. The space can be customized according to needs, with shelves and/or a hanging rail.
