Minneapolis Institute of Art

Commode

attributed to Charles Cressent

Date

c. 1745

Medium

Satinwood and purpleheart, gilt bronze mounts and marble top

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

French furniture of the highest quality during the 1700s was adorned with gilt-bronze, called ormolu, mounts. Charles Cressent (1685–1768), a leading French cabinetmaker, was especially noted for his elaborate Rococo gilt-bronze mounts. He trained as a sculptor before turning to cabinetry, and his mounts display a strong three-dimensional organic quality. On this commode, or cabinet, the mounts are of acanthus and ivy leaves. Cressent had his furniture mounts engraved and gilded in his own workshop, allowing him to maintain quality and to stop others from copying his work. France, Europe

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