MAHOGANY COMMODE EMPIRE STYLE WITH GILT BRONZE, CA 1880.

Empire style chest of drawers in mahogany and gilt bronze, around 1880. Five-drawer chest of drawers with garland hardware, key closures and decorated lock shields, on hemispherical legs and dark stone top board. The front is flanked by two stipes with a female capital under a plant motif and a base resembling women's feet. It is made of mahogany palm and the hardware is made of very good quality gilded bronze. Details such as the purity of the furniture's lines, its clear geometric shape, the angles, the presence of the caryatids on the front and the smooth back, the centralization of the relief in the gilded bronze sconces, the use of mahogany and the inspiration in the Classical antiquity (Greek and Roman) places the chest of drawers within the Empire style. This dominated all French arts at the beginning of the 19th century during the government of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), and was one of the most important inspirations of the Second Empire style, which was born under the government of Napoleon III and had great success among , approximately, 1860 and 1880. The work stands out for the high quality of its wood and the perfection of its bronzes, both in its reliefs and in its gilding. These French metal ornaments were the best considered in cabinetmaking for their quality, due to the rigid control established by the central power over the guilds responsible for their production, which highlights the specialization of the different workshops necessary for their creation and subsequent sale to master cabinetmakers in particular or to other merchants who, on occasion, exported them. Although it is true that it is not a custom piece of furniture but rather one made following a system somewhat more similar to mass production, in all cases they were important works intended for the homes of the main families both by the materials used in them as well as following the aesthetic developments of the moment.

· Size: 110x58,5x90 cms.