Antique Armoire CHT01344

This exceptional Louis XV-period walnut armoire is an outstanding piece of French Régence craftsmanship. Monumental in size, the double-doors and sides of this armoire display an elegant "bombay" shape, and are adorned with intricate carving of the highest degree of artistry. The original double strike lock and steel hinges add to this piece's beauty and importance. Original steel hardware is especially difficult to find in a period piece such as this, as the metal was frequently stripped to make armaments until World War I. The Régence style revolutionized traditional forms and decorations to offer something truly new. Abandoning strict architectural styles, craftsmen combined comfort with beauty and function in round, curving designs that emulated the human form. Taking its name from the regency of Phillippe d'Orleans, who ruled France during the minority of Louis XV, Régence furniture is a favorite of antique lovers and collectors. Its sumptuous forms reflect the rejection of the rigidity of the Louis XIV era. Instead, the first signs of the Rococo period, with its asymmetry and relaxed luxury, begin to emerge. To find such a large piece from this period, in such spectacular, original condition, is extremely rare.

Circa 1740 76" wide x 23" deep x 101" high Eighteenth Century French Furniture, 2001, Giacomo Wannenes.