French Empire period mahogany, marble and gilt bronze cabinet

French Empire period mahogany, marble and gilt bronze cabinet
French, early 19th Century
Height 98cm, width 132cm, depth 58.5cm
 
This beautiful mahogany cabinet was crafted in France in the early 19th Century, when Napoleon Bonaparte was Emperor (1804-1814,15). The cabinet features a wide rectangular body, topped by flecked light green marble. Its body is split into an upper and lower section.
 
The cabinet’s upper section is decorated with a central gilt bronze escutcheon, which encloses a lock. This features a diamond centre, flanked by scrolling vines and stylised palmettes. The two ends of the upper body are decorated with gilt bronze swans within circular frames. The front can be pulled down to form a green leather-topped writing desk. This opens to reveal several shelves and seven small drawers, with light-coloured wood fronts. The cabinet’s lower body is composed of two doors, which are mounted with gilt bronze frames, dotted with rosettes and palmettes. Its centre features a gilt bronze pinecone-tipped band, with a rosette at its middle. Behind these doors are three large drawers, which are fitted with gilt bronze ring handles, cast as laurel wreaths.