Early 19th Century Flemish Renaissance Buffet

Price: $4,700

Early 19th Century Flemish Renaissance Buffet is a lively piece, commissioned by a wealthy patron who wanted a bit of whimsy in its character!  Abundant symbolism abounds in the carved embellishment of the piece, sculpted in glorious full relief for all to appreciate.  The beveled plank top seems sedate enough, but that's where the simplicity ends.  The entire upper drawer tier conceals a full width spacious drawer, and is unabashedly lavished with mythical creatures sporting horses' heads and forelegs with scaled fish tails.  The undulating forms intertwine and wrap around orbs with more fish scale embellishment, and are centered with a fierce lion's head in full relief looking askance at the viewer, with two more lions' heads on each corner with exaggerated snouts, making them seem not quite so fierce.  Below on the corners appears a half-round scepter above petal fluting, leading the eye down to the base with tailored corbels.  Down the center stile we see della robia, or bounty-of-the-earth carvings above which appears a cherubic face atop acanthus plumes boasting an overly-full head of wavy hair.  The two cabinet doors that open to provide access to the cavernous interior are finely molded at finished with exquisite carvings of the lord and lady of the manoir in bold full relief, raised up from the cabinet face with curvaceous molded detail forming a picture frame effect.|
Circa 1820s
Measures 43H x 58W x 25.5D