19th Century, Mahogany And Gilt Bronze French Showcase

19th century, Mahogany and Gilt Bronze French Showcase

The splendid showcase, made of mahogany solid wood, dates back to the end of the 19th century. Made in France by a master cabinet maker of great ability, it’s in Louis XVI style.
The furniture is embellished with decorations in ormolu bronze of very fine chisel. It presents details, of Louis XVI style, with acanthus leaves and leafy girals, festoons and garlands of flowers joined by graceful bows and ribbons. In the top and central part there are two ram heads while at the bottom, at the centre, a lion head holds a laurel crown between the jaws. Along the furniture run refined reserves in bronze chiselled with geometric, floral and palmette motifs. The top part is finished by a railing frame, in gilded bronze, perforated with geometric oval motifs. Great attention to detail.
The showcase consists of a hight part with a glass door in the central area and two glass panes that follow the movement of the sides.Two glass shelves and mirror top. The lower part has a front sash and two wavy side panels.The three wooden portions are decorated with “vernis Martin”. The vernis Martin is a lacquer invented in France in the 18th Century by the Martin brothers, in competition with the chinese lacquered panels. The Louis XV style, widespread at the time, had changed the profile of the furniture, making them wavy or rounded, so the chinese square panels were not usable. Instead, this type of painting had the advantage of being usable over smooth or rounded surfaces. The technique was developed in 1728 by the Martin brothers who held the monopoly for twenty years. The fashion of vernis Martin continued even in the nineteenth century and is characterized by subjects such as archaic landscapes or gallant scenes inspired by the paintings of Jean Antoine Watteau (valenciennes, 1684– Nogent-sur-marne, 1721) o François Boucher (Paris, 1703-1770).

Inside the door, there is the inscription “GG” followed by a numeration.