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ID #SA945031
FOR SALE
£8,750
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Antique Large Vernis Martin Bombe' Display Cabinet 19th C
For sale by Regent Antiques
for sale €10,238     $11,113
£8,750
Regent Antiques

Regent Antiques

Sellingantiques Verified Since Sep 2016
Browse dealers 645 items
  • About Us
    We specialise in english and continental furniture, silver, porcelain and decorative items.
  • Trade Associations
    Regent Antiques is a registered member of LAPADA  CINOA
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Id #SA945031
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Antique Large Vernis Martin Bombe' Display Cabinet 19th C

19th century
For Sale by Regent Antiques
Description

A stunning large antique French king wood Vernis Martin five panel display cabinet in the Louis XV manner and of extravagantly shaped Bombe form, circa 1870 in date, with exquisite hand painted decoration and exquisite ormolu mounts.

It has five decorative Vernis Martin panels with beautiful hand painted decoration, the central panel depicting a courting couple and the others with classical figures in pastoral country scenes. The central panel bears the artists signature, Le Brun.

The large central clear serpentine glazed door opening to a large capacious cupboard below, flanked by clear glazed serpentine panels, with further shaped glass on the sides.

It is smothered in gorgeous gilded ormolu mounts, the shaped apron with foliate mounts and sabots, standing on cabriole legs. The mirror backed interior is fitted with glass shelves, the lower shelf lined with golden velvet, to display your collection of china or silver beautifully.

This magnificent piece is in excellent condition and the quality and attention to detail throughout is second to none.

Add a touch of unparalleled style to your home.

Condition:

In really excellent original condition having only been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 193 x Width 115 x Depth 50

Dimensions in inches:

Height 6 foot, 4 inches x Width 3 foot, 9 inches x Depth 1 foot, 8 inches

Vernis Martin

is a lustrous lacquer substitute widely used in the 18th century to decorate furniture and such personal articles as brisé fans, snuffboxes and clocks. The process of adding bronze or gold powder to green varnish was perfected by the French brothers Guillaume and Etienne-Simon Martin, hence its name “Vernis Martin”, as Vernis is French for varnish. It is said to have been made by heating oil, copal and amber and then adding Venetian turpentine and the Martin brothers perfected the process with inclusions in the varnish, sprinkling spangles of silver plated copper wire into the wet varnish ground. Highly praised by Voltaire, it was developed to imitate East Asian lacquerware which was being imported into France during the Louis XV period. Vernis Martin was made in several colours, green, black and a golden red being the most characteristic.

Ormolu - (from French 'or moulu', signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.The mercury is driven off in a kiln leaving behind a gold-coloured veneer known as 'gilt bronze'.

The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object.

Our reference: A2932

Date of Manufacture

Regent Antiques has dated this Vernis Martin Display Cabinet to the 19th Century.

Independent Date Check ID 07615217
Dealer's Item Date19th Century
Sellingantiques Date19th Century
Sellingantiques agingItem 125-160 years old
Test ResultsPassed dating check
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to THE 19TH CENTURY:
Slotted screws securing the gilt bronze borders: fasteners used before cross-headed types.
Gilt bronze mounts with darkened recesses: natural oxidisation of old mercurial gilding.
Central pastoral panel signed A. Lebrun: hand-painted work by an identified Parisian decorator.
Curved glass panes fitted to the serpentine frame: specialised heat-sagged furnace work.
Kingwood veneers laid in opposing chevrons: delicate work over double-curved timber surfaces.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Physical Dimensions
Height
193cm (75.98")
Width
115cm (45.28")
Depth
50cm (19.69")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA945031
Dealers Internal Reference
A2932
Description
A stunning large antique French king wood Vernis Martin five panel display cabinet in the Louis XV manner and of extravagantly shaped Bombe form, circa 1870 in date, with exquisite hand painted decoration and exquisite ormolu mounts.
“
It has five decorative Vernis Martin panels with beautiful hand painted decoration, the central panel depicting a courting couple and the others with classical figures in pastoral country scenes.
Regent Antiques

The central panel bears the artists signature, Le Brun.

fig 1. A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts.
fig 1. Antique Large Vernis Martin Bombe' Display Cabinet 19th C

The large central clear serpentine glazed door opening to a large capacious cupboard below, flanked by clear glazed serpentine panels, with further shaped glass on the sides.

It is smothered in gorgeous gilded ormolu mounts, the shaped apron with foliate mounts and sabots, standing on cabriole legs. The mirror backed interior is fitted with glass shelves, the lower shelf lined with golden velvet, to display your collection of china or silver beautifully.

fig 2. A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts.
fig 2. Antique Large Vernis Martin Bombe' Display Cabinet 19th C

This magnificent piece is in excellent condition and the quality and attention to detail throughout is second to none.

Add a touch of unparalleled style to your home.

Condition:

In really excellent original condition having only been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.

fig 3. A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts.
fig 3. Antique Large Vernis Martin Bombe' Display Cabinet 19th C

Dimensions in cm:

Height 193 x Width 115 x Depth 50

Dimensions in inches:

Height 6 foot, 4 inches x Width 3 foot, 9 inches x Depth 1 foot, 8 inches

Vernis Martin

is a lustrous lacquer substitute widely used in the 18th century to decorate furniture and such personal articles as brisé fans, snuffboxes and clocks. The process of adding bronze or gold powder to green varnish was perfected by the French brothers Guillaume and Etienne-Simon Martin, hence its name “Vernis Martin”, as Vernis is French for varnish. It is said to have been made by heating oil, copal and amber and then adding Venetian turpentine and the Martin brothers perfected the process with inclusions in the varnish, sprinkling spangles of silver plated copper wire into the wet varnish ground. Highly praised by Voltaire, it was developed to imitate East Asian lacquerware which was being imported into France during the Louis XV period. Vernis Martin was made in several colours, green, black and a golden red being the most characteristic.

fig 4. A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts.
fig 4. Antique Large Vernis Martin Bombe' Display Cabinet 19th C

Ormolu - (from French 'or moulu', signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.The mercury is driven off in a kiln leaving behind a gold-coloured veneer known as 'gilt bronze'.

fig 5. A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts.
fig 5. Antique Large Vernis Martin Bombe' Display Cabinet 19th C

The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object.

Our reference: A2932

Date of Manufacture

Regent Antiques has dated this Vernis Martin Display Cabinet to the 19th Century.

Independent Date Report ID 07615217
Dealer's Item Date19th Century
Sellingantiques dating19th Century
Sellingantiques agingItem 125-160 years old
Test ResultsPassed dating check
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to the 19th Century:
Slotted screws securing the gilt bronze borders: fasteners used before cross-headed types.
Gilt bronze mounts with darkened recesses: natural oxidisation of old mercurial gilding.
Central pastoral panel signed A. Lebrun: hand-painted work by an identified Parisian decorator.
Curved glass panes fitted to the serpentine frame: specialised heat-sagged furnace work.
Kingwood veneers laid in opposing chevrons: delicate work over double-curved timber surfaces.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Height
193cm (75.98")
Width
115cm (45.28")
Depth
50cm (19.69")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA945031
Dealers Internal Ref
A2932
Regent Antiques
Regent Antiques
Sellingantiques verified Since Sep 2016

We specialise in english and continental furniture, silver, porcelain and decorative items.

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Regent Antiques Profile Page

Trade Associations

Regent Antiques is a registered member of LAPADA  CINOA

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SAVE
A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts.
1 / 29
Archive I A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts.

Antique Large Vernis Martin Bombe' Display Cabinet 19th C

Archive II A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View II
Archive III A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View III
Archive IV A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View IV
Archive V A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View V
Archive VI A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View VI
Archive VII A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View VII
Archive VIII A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View VIII
Archive IX A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View IX
Archive X A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View X
Archive XI A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XI
Archive XII A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XII
Archive XIII A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XIII
Archive XIV A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XIV
Archive XV A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XV
Archive XVI A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XVI
Archive XVII A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XVII
Archive XVIII A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XVIII
Archive XIX A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XIX
Archive XX A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XX
Archive XXI A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XXI
Archive XXII A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XXII
Archive XXIII A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XXIII
Archive XXIV A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XXIV
Archive XXV A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XXV
Archive XXVI A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XXVI
Archive XXVII A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XXVII
Archive XXVIII A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XXVIII
Archive XXIX A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts. View XXIX
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Regent Antiques

Regent Antiques
Telephone 020 8809 9605 or 020 8802 3900
Location
Manor Warehouse
318 Green Lanes
London
N4 1BX
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/regentantiques
Verified Since Sep 2016
Items For Sale 645
Items Sold 2,707
Regent Antiques
Regent Antiques
Verified Since Sep 2016
View Dealer Info
Location: Manor Warehouse, 318 Green Lanes, London, N4 1BX, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/regentantiques
Verified
Sep 2016
For Sale
645
Sold
2,707
A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts.
Antique Large Vernis Martin Bombe' Display Cabinet 19th C
Ref: SA945031
A nineteenth-century French Louis XV style bombee vitrine cabinet featuring curved glass panels, hand-painted Vernis Martin lower sections, and ornate gilt bronze mounts.
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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectDisplay Cabinets
  • Period19th century
  • StyleLouis XV Revival
  • MaterialKingwood, Ormolu, Glass, Vernis Martin Lacquer
  • ColourWarm Brown
  • MotifsBombee shape, Ormolu mounts, Hand-painted pastoral panels, Curved glass
  • SizeH 193 cm (76 in) x W 115 cm (45 in) x D 50 cm (20 in)

This nineteenth-century French Louis XV revival display cabinet is constructed from warm brown kingwood, glass, and ormolu, finished with Vernis Martin lacquer and hand-painted pastoral panels. The bombe-form cabinet has a central glazed door flanked by curved glass side panels, a serpentine glazed door, cabriole legs with ormolu sabots, ornate gilt bronze foliate mounts, a carved gilt finial, and a pink tassel key pendant. The mirror-backed interior contains glass shelves and golden velvet lining. Dimensions are 193 cm high, 115 cm wide, and 50 cm deep. It functions as a prominent display piece in a living room, drawing room, or hallway to exhibit collections of porcelain or silver.

FAQs

Vernis Martin refers to a specialized Japanese-style lacquer technique developed in the eighteenth century by the French Martin brothers. It involves applying multiple layers of shellac varnish to wooden surfaces, often embellished with hand-painted pastoral scenes or gilded detail in the Rococo taste.

Vitrines from this era commonly feature exotic timber veneers such as kingwood, rosewood, or walnut, supported by an oak frame. Decorative features include gilt-bronze (ormolu) mounts, hand-curved glass panels, and velvet or silk lining inside the display area.

Authentic nineteenth-century pieces display hand-cast and chased ormolu fittings, period dovetail joinery, natural irregularities in hand-blown curved glass, and genuine hand-painted Vernis Martin lacquer panels rather than modern printed transfers.

A glazed vitrine serves as an architectural statement piece in contemporary spaces. Positioned in a formal dining room, wide hallway, or reception space, it offers functional storage for glass collections while creating visual contrast alongside clean-lined modern furnishings.

Maintain painted lacquer cabinets by keeping them away from direct sunlight and artificial heat sources to prevent cracking or fading. Ormolu mounts should be dusted with a soft microfibre cloth without harsh chemical cleaners that could strip original gilding.
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