ANGLETERRE - FIN DU XVIIe SIECLE, DEBUT DU XVIIIe... Lot n° 15

CABINET "AUX PAYSAGES LACUSTRES" Varnished, Gilded Bronzes and Silver Wood H. 153,5 cm, W. 110 cm, D. 56 cm Cabinet and associated legs This rectangular cabinet is decorated with a superb décor made of varnish in imitation of China. On a black background, the lake and vegetation landscapes stand out, with several figures dressed in oriental fashion and numerous animals such as roosters and birds. A similar design is continued on both sides of the cabinet. The leaves open by means of openwork hinges in gilded bronze finely engraved with stylised foliage, a motif found on the lock's entrance. The carved and gilded wooden base is characteristic of the English Baroque style of the late 17th century. The openwork belt is decorated with scrolls framing a Madonna with putti in a shell. Large acanthus leaves are spreading all around the belt. The four arched legs are carved with flowers and foliage. This great theatrical style can be seen in a cabinet kept at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (fig. 1). The shape and fittings of the cabinet are similar to ours and the openwork base is based on similar patterns. In a view of the interior of the prestigious English residence of Burghley House, we find a cabinet with an identical style of legs and a décor of lakeside landscapes close to ours (fig. 2). This interior reveals in particular the grandiloquence of the furnishings in England at the end of the 17th century, strongly influenced by the French taste of Louis XIV. The same enthusiasm can be seen in Germany, particularly with the achievements of Gehrard Daghly.