Getty Museum

Pair of Corner Cupboards

Date

about 1750–1760

Medium

White oak veneered with amaranth, sycamore, holly, fruitwood, barberry, boxwood, maple, walnut, and other unidentified woods; gilt-bronze mounts; brass hinges; brass and iron locks and keys; brèche d'Alep top

Culture

French

Department

Decorative Arts

Institution

Getty Museum

The Parisian cabinetmaker Jean-Pierre Latz is credited with producing these corner cupboards and their gilt-bronze mounts while the floral marquetry on the doors is believed to have been added by another cabinetmaker, Jean-François Oeben, at a slightly later date. Oeben specialized in this type of decoration that involves using small pieces of brilliantly colored and stained woods to create naturalistic images. It is possible that the cupboards were unfinished at the time of Latz’s death in 1754 and that Oeben subsequently acquired them and completed the work. The marquetry consists of now faded sprays of tulips, carnations, roses, lilies, daffodils, and other flowers. Each group is unique and appears as if floating on the surface of the doors. For his designs, it appears that Oeben found inspiration in contemporary books depicting various floral specimens. These images echo the design of the elaborate gilt-bronze mounts framing each marquetry panel that are in the form of interlaced flowers and branches.

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