Lee Hawkins Antiques & Interiors has dated this Victorian Carved Oak Cabinet to the 19th Century.
Constructed principally in richly figured oak, the façade combines extensive glazing with exceptionally elaborate Renaissance Revival carving, incorporating grotesque masks, lion masks, winged heads, fruit, scrolling foliage and classical architectural ornament.
The upper section is formed around a pair of large glazed doors, flanked by beautifully curved glazed end sections and fitted internally with glass display shelves. Above is an extraordinarily accomplished carved frieze centred by a classical mask and surrounded by deeply modelled scrolling foliage, creatures and Renaissance-inspired ornament.
The lower section is equally impressive. A pair of central cupboard doors are each carved in exceptionally high relief with a large grotesque mask surrounded by scrolling acanthus, fruit, smaller winged heads and further Renaissance ornament. These are flanked by curved glazed display compartments, giving the cabinet an unusual combination of concealed and visible storage.
Particularly noteworthy are the surviving locks, which are stamped:
HOBBS & CO
SPECIAL QUALITY
Hobbs & Co were among the best-known British specialist lock manufacturers of the nineteenth century. The use of their higher-grade hardware is entirely consistent with the exceptional standard of construction seen throughout this cabinet. The locks should be regarded as supplied hardware rather than evidence that Hobbs & Co manufactured the cabinet itself.
The strongly figured oak, architectural proportions and extensive hand carving place the cabinet firmly within the Victorian Renaissance Revival tradition, when leading British workshops looked towards sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Italian and French decorative arts for inspiration.
A remarkable statement piece suitable for an important drawing room, library, dining room, commercial interior or serious collection.
Height 247cm x Width 224cm x Depth 46cm
Lee Hawkins Antiques & Interiors has dated this Victorian Carved Oak Cabinet to the 19th Century.
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Lee Hawkins Antiques & Interiors Profile Page
Monumental Victorian Carved Oak Display Cabinet with Hobbs & Co Locks, C.1890
