NAPOLÉON III SIDE CABINET

A BRIEF HISTORY

The side cabinet (meuble d’appui) is a type of chest with one or two doors, resting on low feet or a plinth, whose top is positioned at the elbow height of a standing person (approximately 1 meter). Its upper rail sometimes accommodates one or more drawers. Unlike the low sideboard, the side cabinet is generally taller than it is wide. With a single door, it is also called a low cabinet. It is often placed against a wall or between two windows, hence its name “meuble d’entre-deux” (between-two piece). Historically, the term “meubles d’appui” referred to sideboards, lower cabinet sections, etc., whose height did not exceed that of the wainscoting decorating the lower part of a wall in old apartments.

A NOTE ON CONSERVATION/RESTORATION

The ebony veneer was engraved, and then the recesses of the engraving were gilded.

The restoration work on this piece involved restoring the veneer, regluing the brass stringing, and regilding the engraved recesses. The finish is a pad-applied shellac varnish; the bronze mounts were cleaned and protected with a varnish. The white marble was cleaned and waxed.