A particularly fine Napoleon III ebonised and Boulle vitrine,…
click the photo to enlarge
A particularly fine Napoleon III ebonised and Boulle vitrine, the frieze with brass inlay and ormolu banding, below a pair of glazed doors flanked by ormolu corbels, 152 cm high, 85 cm wide, 35 cm deep

You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.

Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item

When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

This item has been sold, and the description, image and price are for reference purposes only.
  • Frieze - An architectural term denoting the flat, shaped or convex horizontal surface of furniture, between the architrave and the cornice, usually found on a cabinet or bookcase, or on desks and tables where it may include drawers, the area between the top and the legs. In ceramics, the term refers to the banding, of usually a repeating pattern, on the rims of plates and vases.
  • Corbel - An architectural term for a support for a projecting bracket, ostensibly supporting a beam or horizontal feature, but used in bookcases, sideboards and chests as a decorative element. Corbels are often carved with acanthus or other scrolling decoration.
  • Boulle - Boulle work is the name given to tortoiseshell and metal inlay using brass and sometimes silver, found on furniture and smaller wooden objects. It originated in Italy but was developed by Frenchman Andre Charles Boulle (1642 - 1732) under Louis XIV.

    Boulle was appointed Royal Cainet Maker to Louis XIV and designed furniture and clockcases for the monarch.

    In preparation, the tortoiseshell and metal were cut together following a design, using a fine fret saw.

    In the application of the Boulle, the carcase of piece of furniture was covered with the tortoiseshell which in turn was inlaid with the matched designs in metal, which in turn was elaborately engraved.

    The use of Boulle work furniture continued mainly in France until the 19th century.
  • Parquetry - Parquetry is inlay laid in geometric patterns, the contrast being achieved by the opposing angles of the grain and veneers. The herringbone pattern is the most commonly used in flooring, but this is almost never seen in furniture - the patterns used are more complex and unlike flooring, can include several different varieties of timber.
  • Ormolu - Ormolu was popular with French craftsmen in the 18th and 19th century for ornamental fittings for furniture, clocks and other decorative items. True ormolu is gilt bronze, that is bronze that has been coated with gold using a mercury amalgam. Due to the health risks associated with using mercury, this method of creating ormolu was discontinued in France in the 1830s. A substitute was developed consisting of about 75% copper and 25% zinc, however it was inferior to the bronze version. It was often lacquered to prevent it tarnishing.
  • Inlay - Decorative patterns inserted into the main body of a piece of furniture, generally in wood of contrasting colour and grain, though brass, ivory, ebony, shell and sometimes horn have been used. Inlay may consist of a panel of well figured timber inset into a cabinet door front, geometric patterns, or complex and stylized designs of flowers, swags of foliage, fruits and other motifs. As a general rule, in pieces where the carcase is constructed in the solid, the inlay is relatively simple such as stringing, cross banding and herringbone banding. Where more elaborate and decorative work was required veneer was used. Inlay has been fashionable from at least the latter half of the 17th century, when a variety of elaborate forms were developed
  • Ebonised - Timber that has been stained or lacquered black in imitation of ebony. The process has been used since the Renaissance, but is most commonly found in late 19th century furniture, sometimes gilded and turned in imitation of bamboo. Furniture with an ebonised finish is not currently in vogue, and this is reflected in the price for such pieces.

This item has been included into following indexes:

Visually similar items

Vintage French Louis XV style limed oak single door display cabinet

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

A French mahogany Louis XVI style display cabinet, circa 1920s, of breakfront form with a moulded pediment above a brass link pattern frieze with swag and foliate embellishments to the edges, two side doors with parquetry, cross banding, stringing and inla

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Vintage cheval mirror, 52 cm wide, 134 cm high approx

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

A Victorian ebonized pier cabinet, the cabinet, ebonized with moulded edge, the frieze with ormolu banding and Sevres style panels, above a glazed door.

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.