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Cabinet
Designed by: Bruce Talbert (Scottish, 1838–1881)
English
about 1870
Medium/Technique
Cherry, oak; veneers of thuya, ebony, walnut, and rosewood
Dimensions
218.1 x 61.9 x 112.4 cm (85 7/8 x 24 3/8 x 44 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
John Wheelock Elliot and John Morse Elliot Fund and Arthur Tracy Cabot Fund
Accession Number1997.188
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsFurniture – Case furniture and boxes
Talbert was a prominent designer and cabinetmaker working in the Gothic style from the 1860s. The form of this cabinet is based on the sixteenth-century Tudor court cupboard and displays such characteristic Gothic architectural elements as crockets and a pointed arch. The two-dimensional ornament comprises different colored veneers depicting stylized floral and Gothic patterns. The design is taken from Talbert's extremely influential 1868 publication, Gothic Forms Applied to Furniture, Metal Work and Decoration for Domestic Purposes.
DescriptionAbove the ebonized plinth, the body of the cabinet has two doors in front, each decorated with chevron-veneering within an ebonizing trefoil frame, and a foliate marquetry medallion above within ebonized framing.
ProvenanceIn a private collection in Nova Scotia. 1997, sold by Margaret B. Caldwell to the MFA. (Accession Date: November 19, 1997)