A Louis XV style French kingwood armoire, the lobed stepped rectangular cornice surmounted by an ormolu ribbon decoration, above a pair of mirrored doors enclosing three shelves with a pair of drawers below, and flanked by gilt pilasters on tapering short legs. 246 cm high, 130 cm wide, 47 cm deep.
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- 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.
- Cornice - The upper section of a high piece of furniture such as a bookcase, wardrobe or cabinet that sits immediately on the main structure. The cornice is usually decorated with a variety of architectural mouldings, worked either with a moulding plane or, from the later 19th century, by machine. The front and side of the cornice are mitred together, strengthened by glue blocks, and the back is generally a simple dovetailed rail to hold the structure together. Cornices are generally, though not always, fitted separately to the piece and are held in place either by screws sunk into the top board or by wooden corner blocks. A pediment may sit above the cornice, but sometimes the terms cornice and pediment are used interchangeably.
- Pilasters - In furniture a pilaster is a flattened column-like detail
applied to furniture. It is similar to a pilaster in architecture, but it is
typically smaller and less ornate. Pilasters are often used to decorate the
fronts of bookcases, cabinets, and other pieces of furniture. Pilasters can be
made of wood, metal, or other materials. They can be fluted, carved, or plain.
Pilasters are often used to add a touch of elegance and sophistication to
furniture.
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