Cabinet
Artist: Joseph Cremer (French, 1811-1878)
Date: 1856
Dimensions:
8 ft., 8 3/8 in. x 5 ft., 11 in. (285 x 180 cm)
Medium: oak with veneer, marquetry, pearwood carving, and gilded bronze
Classification: Furniture
Credit Line: Mr. and Mrs. George M. Jones, Jr. Fund
Object number: 1990.97
Label Text:The Paris firm of Joseph Cremer was internationally known for marquetry—mosaic-like inlays of exotic woods and other costly materials. Made for the London International Exhibition of 1862, this oversize cabinet was a showpiece for Cremer’s impressive artistic and technical skills.
Inspired by French Renaissance furniture, on the doors are carved relief panels of Ceres and Minerva, goddesses of abundance and wisdom. Below these are marquetry panels symbolizing agriculture and good government. The corner sculptures represent Flora (goddess of flowers) and Bacchus (god of wine).
The illustration shows one of the marquetry panels inside the upper doors. Objects from the South Pacific, including a lei, claw-studded mace, split coconut, feathered helmet, and shield, are combined in a trophy representing curiosities brought back after the French occupation of New Caledonia in 1853.
Inspired by French Renaissance furniture, on the doors are carved relief panels of Ceres and Minerva, goddesses of abundance and wisdom. Below these are marquetry panels symbolizing agriculture and good government. The corner sculptures represent Flora (goddess of flowers) and Bacchus (god of wine).
The illustration shows one of the marquetry panels inside the upper doors. Objects from the South Pacific, including a lei, claw-studded mace, split coconut, feathered helmet, and shield, are combined in a trophy representing curiosities brought back after the French occupation of New Caledonia in 1853.
DescriptionOak cabinet with amboina veneer, walnut veneer, ebony veneer, walnut marquetry, mahogany marquetry, pearwood carving, gilded bronze.
On view
In Collection(s)