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Charles Cressent (1685-1768)
Paris, c. 1725
Oak and exotic woods (satinwood and amaranth) bronze
H. 164 x W. 272 x D. 42 cm
Inv. no. 2221 A/B
Designed at the end of the Regénce, this pair of bookcases, by the famous cabinet-maker to the Duc de Orléans, is one of the most original and luxurious of Cressent’s production. Three doors open on the ample fronts, decorated with rich motifs in bronze. Separated by pilasters, surmounted by eight busts in bronze, the first four representing the four parts of the world, identified by the attributes with which they are crowned: Europe, a horse; Asia, an elephant; America, a feathered headdress; Africa, a unicorn. The four seasons of the year decorate the other: Winter, Autumn, Summer and Spring, symbolised respectively by the figure of an old man and three feminine busts: one is crowned with vine leaves and bunches of grapes, the other by full ears of corn and the last by blossoming flowers.
A selection of 18th century-pieces in the Calouste Gulbenkian Collection
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