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A MAGNIFICENT AND RARE HIGH STATUS 15TH CENTURY WALNUT BUFFET / DRESSOIR. FRANCE. CIRCA 1480-1500.

A MAGNIFICENT AND RARE HIGH STATUS 15TH CENTURY WALNUT BUFFET / DRESSOIR. FRANCE. CIRCA 1480-1500.

THIS OUTSTANDING LATE MEDIEVAL WALNUT BUFFET IS OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY, THE TOP WITH PIERCED GOTHIC TRACERY FLANKED BY GOTHIC FINIALS, ABOVE FOUR DEEPLY CARVED TRACERY PANELS, THE LOWER SECTION AGAIN WITH TWO DEEPLY CARVED GOTHIC TRACERY DOORS FLANKED BY TRACERY PANELS, BELOW ARE TWO HORIZONTAL LINENFOLD DRAWERS WITH CENTRAL FINIAL. THE SIDES ARE ALSO CARVED WITH HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL LINENFOLD, TERMINATING IN SQUARE MOULDED LEGS WITH POT SHELF BELOW. THE TWO OUTER STILES CARVED WITH FOUR PANTOCRATOR MARKS OF "THE ORB SURMOUNTED BY A CROSS", THIS SUGGESTS THAT AN ASSOCIATION WITH A HIGH STATUS ECCLESIASTICAL BUILDING, POSSIBLY A BISHOPS PALACE N THE EARLY YEARS OF ITS LIFE.FANTASTIC COLOUR AND QUALITY.


PROVENANCE:

THIS BUFFET SOLD IN SOTHEBYS THE WELSH AND OAK SALE OLYMPIA, 18 NOVEMBER 2003, LOT 414 .

RECORDED AND ILLUSTRATED IN V CHINNERY, PG 341, FIG 3:329. AS BEING IN THE COLLECTION OF MICHAEL DUMEZ-ONOF, THE PRIVATE BRITISH COLLECTION, UNTIL BEING SOLD IN THE ABOVE SOTHEBYS SALE.

LITERATURE-
VICTOR CHINNERY, OAK FURNITURE, THE PANTOCRATOR MARK OF THE ORB SURMOUNTED BY A CRUCIFIX IS A SYMBOL OF CHRIST AS RULER OF THE UNIVERSE AND SUGGESTS AN ASSOCIATION WITH AN ECCLESIASTICAL BUILDING IN THE EARLY LIFE OF THIS PIECE.

REPRESENTATIONS OF SIMILAR DRESSOIR APPEAR IN LATE MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPTS AND PAINTINGS AND ARE OFTEN PORTRAYED WITHIN A HIGH STATUS INTERIOR OR WITH AN IMPORTANT INDIVIDUAL. SEE DETAIL FROM JEAN MANSEL, LA FLEUR DES HYSTOIRE, 1500,MS,FR,297,FOL 1 WHICH DEPICTS A VERY SIMILAR DRESSOIR COMPLETE WITH A DISPLAY OF PLATE TO ITS UPPER TIER. THIS IMAGE ALONG WITH TWO OTHERS WHICH FEATURE SIMILAR FINELY CARVED DRESSOIR ALSO AT THE BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE DE FRANCE, LES FAITS ET GESTES D'ALEXANDER AND RENAUD DE MONTAUBAN, ARE BOTH REPRODUCED BY JAQUES THIRION, LE MOBILIER DU MOYEN AGE ET DE LA RENAISSANCE EN FRANCE, DIJON, 1998,PP40-41.