|
Jean Desforges (cabinetmaker) French, active c. 1739 Corner-Cupboard (encoignure), probably 1745/1749 veneered on oak, stained black, with ebonized wood; japanned on each door with _vernis Martin_; gilded bronze mounts; black and gold Portor marble top overall: 100.4 x 88.4 x 67 cm (39 1/2 x 34 13/16 x 26 3/8 in.) Widener Collection 1942.9.417 On View |
Object 3 of 7
French imitations of Oriental lacquer, regardless of which craftsmen made them, are called vernis Martin after the Martin brothers, who perfected and patented a varnishing technique in 1730. On this corner cupboard (one of a pair) with interior shelves, the rich black luster may have required as many as forty coats of hand-rubbed varnish.
The landscapes contrast the themes of war and peace. On the cabinet shown in this tour, mounted Chinese soldiers attack a building with a closed gate. On the other cabinet, philosophers converse in an open pavilion while hunters return with their quarry.
| « | back to gallery | » | continue tour |
