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Charles Cressent

Commode
Now On View

Description

Maker

Charles Cressent (French, 1685-1768)

Title

Commode

Year

ca. 1725-1730

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Dimensions

86.4 x 144.8 x 64.8 cm (34 x 57 x 25 1/2 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

[written in pencil on the back of the top drawer]: No 2
[written in pencil on the back of the middle drawer]: No 1
[written in pencil on the back of the bottom drawer]: No 3

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund

Object Number

2017.46

Type

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

European Galleries
Sep 02, 2017

Label copy

Curves abound in every aspect of this commode, from the free-flowing form and veneer patterns to the gilded bronze mounts and the marble top’s undulating edge. These sinuous lines give the chest a sense of animated movement that is characteristic of the 18th-century French style known as Rococo. Made by Charles Cressent, one of most preeminent designers of the era, the commode’s configuration of contrasting veneers-thin layers of woods imported mainly from South and Central America-was created using a technique known as marquetry. The shape of the scrolling bronze mounts is echoed in the pattern of the surrounding veneer, which is countered by the overall geometric patterning.

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Charles Cressent (French, 1685-1768)
Commode, ca. 1725-1730
Fir, oak, amaranth, macacauba, and bois satiné wood with marble and gilded bronze
86.4 x 144.8 x 64.8 cm (34 x 57 x 25 1/2 inches)
Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund 2017.46

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