BURGONDO-LYONNAIS CABINET TO THE EVANGELISTS FRANCE... Lot 48

BURGONDO-LYONNAIS CABINET TO THE EVANGELISTS FRANCE - LYON, 16th CENTURY Walnut wood H. 169 cm, W. 152 cm, D. 57 cm Very good condition References Bibliography Jacques Thirion, Le mobilier du Moyen-Age et de la Renaissance en France, Edition Faton, 1998 This richly carved cabinet has an architectural facade and consists of a high, recessed body topped by an entablature and a strongly overhanging cornice resting at the back and front on four detached fluted denticulated columns. It bears witness to the aesthetic research carried out on furniture with two unequal bodies during the Second Renaissance (fig. 1). The upper body is flanked by two male terms in a sheath and a female term in the centre, with a flap of drapery concealing the lock. Two Gospels adorn the leaves: St. Mark and St. Matthew. On the sides is a flattened sculpture, a detail borrowed from the art of engraving, typical of the Lyon School of 1540-1570. The middle part underlined by moldings and decorated with rosettes is arranged with two long drawers. A beautiful ornamentation carved with lions' heads, mascarons with feathered heads and a coat of arms in the center complete the decoration. The lower part is composed of two panels, each one decorated with an oval frame in which is represented an evangelist, his body draped with a coat. The rest of the panel is occupied by stems, leaves and flowers, in a skilfully executed symmetrical composition. On the right, the youngest of the evangelists, Saint John, beardless and with a halo on his head, pen in hand, is writing his Gospel under the shelter of a tree and the protective gaze of the Eagle. On the left, Saint Luke is bent over the Book accompanied by the Bull, his emblem. Its structure as well as its decorative vocabulary evoke the cabinets made in Burgundy at the end of the 16th century (fig. 2). The Old and New Testaments were sometimes a source of inspiration for the huchiers, the cabinetmakers' forebears. If the Old Testament was most often retained by the artists, the religious revival brought about by the Counter-Reformation developed an interest for the New Testament. Thus, from the end of the 16th century, the figures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, the Four Evangelists and the Twelve Apostles triumphed. The decoration, the variety of motifs and the quality of their execution make this cabinet a remarkable piece. A bit of history: from the Burgundians to the Burgundians (Burgundy - Franche-Comté - Western Switzerland - Lyonnais) In spite of the weaknesses of their kingdom, the Burgundians succeeded in seeing their name survive over the centuries, following the example of much more powerful peoples such as the Franks and the Alamanni. The kingdom of Burgundy appears on paper in 552, distinguishing it from the rest of Gaul, but it was in 411 or 413 that Gondicarius founded the first Burgundian kingdom established on the left bank of the Rhine, with Worms/Azley as its capital. Gondicarius was defeated and killed in a battle against Hun mercenaries in 437, led by the Roman general Aetius. This defeat marked the end of the Burgundian kingdom. His people migrated to Sapaudie - today's Geneva region - and became a federated city of the Roman army in 443. At its peak, the kingdom extended north to Langres, south to Marseille, west to Nevers and northeast to the shores of Lake Constance. Childebert, king of Paris, and Clotaire, king of Soissons, put an end to the Burgundian kingdom in 534. However, in the 15th century, Charles the Bold declared himself the heir of the Burgundian kingdom. His reign was marked by a permanent confrontation with his cousin, the King of France, Louis XI, from whom he proclaimed himself emancipated. To counter this, Charles united his northern and southern possessions into a single block to create an independent kingdom. Although he was defeated militarily, his plan for a rebirth of the Burgundian kingdom animated his actions.