Description
Antique 19th Century Antique Louis XIV Vernis Martine Vitrine Cabinet
This substantial display cabinet combines rich mahogany case work with lavish gilt bronze mounting and
hand-painted decorative panels, reflecting the ornamental French Louis XV taste.
The “Vernis Martine” technique, a type of varnishing, was developed in France in the 18th Century.
It involved applying multiple layers of a special lacquer to create a lustrous, durable finish.
This technique was highly prized for its aesthetic appeal and the rich colours it could achieve, making pieces decorated in this style highly sought after.
The stepped, shaped
marble top surmounts a frieze fitted with three drawers, each dressed with a fine gilt bronze plaque — the
central plaque cast with a classical figural scene, flanked by scrolling foliate mounts — while the canted front
corners are trimmed with cascading gilt bronze foliate mounts descending from figural mask caps.
Below, twin glazed doors open to a fabric-lined interior with adjustable shelving suited for displaying fine
china or collectibles, while the lower door panels are hand-painted with pastoral genre scenes of figures in a
landscape, rendered in warm amber and green tones. The cabinet is raised on shaped cabriole legs with gilt
bronze sabots, continuing the rich mixed-media presentation established above.
A substantial, richly finished cabinet, this piece would serve beautifully as a formal display case for fine
china, crystal, or objets d’art in a dining room or parlor setting.
