Ormolu and porcelain mounted antique cabinet by Louis Grade

This fine cabinet is crafted from ormolu and porcelain mounted wood in the classicising Napoleon III style. The piece dates to about 1860, when the Second Empire was at its zenith and the historicising, eclectic style associated with the period was coming into its fullest fruition.

The cabinet features two stepped tiers: a lower, taller section with two unglazed doors, and an upper, shallower vitrine with twin glazed doors. The lower section is finished with beautiful geometrical parquetry veneers and adorned with finely cast ormolu mounts, such as classicising rinceaux friezes, winding vine-like frames, and Rococo style espagnolette-like figures. The front of each door is mounted with an oval porcelain plaque painted in the Louis XV style with floral bouquets and contained within a foliate ormolu frame.

The upper tier is similarly adorned, its twin glazed doors—with ornately shaped windows—opening to reveal three shelves. The top of the cabinet is finished with a pierced ormolu gallery, its fine quality matching the quality of the ormolu throughout and the quality of the entire cabinet more generally.

The lockplate is signed 'L GRADE 23 rue de la Paix PARIS'.