18th century Catalan wardrobe.
Walnut wood and marquetry.
The crockery inside (visible in the photograph) is not included in the lot.
Measurements: 275 x 174 x 60 cm.
Cabinet framed within the Catalan Baroque style, made in walnut wood with a panelled structure which is reflected on the outside in a rich moulding work, in great relief, typical of Baroque furniture throughout Europe. This decoration is combined with marquetry designs.
The front is opened by two doors separated by a wide panel. Both are decorated with a large marquetry vase. The lower part has two drawers, while a panel also decorated with marquetry and a typically Baroque mixtilinear crest crowns the piece.
At the end of the 17th century, the cupboard became the representative piece of furniture par excellence, conceived almost as a monument rather than a functional piece of furniture. In fact, it was between about 1675 and 1725 that the so-called Golden Age of the wardrobe took place throughout Europe. These pieces of furniture now formed part of the decoration of the great salons, as showpieces. The end of this golden age came with the rise of the chest of drawers from around 1725, when a horizontal rather than a vertical piece of furniture was sought after.
The wardrobe of this period evolved from 16th century models in the mannerist style. It would also be a piece of monumental proportions, something that would be increasingly noticeable throughout Europe: progressively taller cupboards, with larger feet and more prominent reliefs (carvings, mouldings or turned pieces), more exaggerated cornices, etc. In fact, in the later cabinets we will even find decorations on the cornice, in the manner of a coping, as well as façade structures defined by Baroque architectural elements, something that is already noticeable here, although not in a particularly evident way.