16th-Century French Renaissance Lyonnaise Walnut Cupboard with Lion Masks

Height 79", width 69", depth 25"
 
A large and richly carved walnut cupboard from Lyon, France, dating to the 16th century. Like the finest Lyonnaise furniture of the Renaissance, the cupboard takes much of its design from contemporary architecture, with two well-proportioned bodies framed by classical columns, molded panels, and a strongly projecting cornice.
 
The upper and lower sections each have two paneled doors, divided and flanked by deeply fluted pilasters with carved Corinthian-style capitals. The doors are finely worked, with broad raised moldings surrounding rectangular panels carved in low relief with symmetrical scrolling foliage and strapwork. At the center of the upper doors are boldly carved lion masks holding rings in their mouths, giving an unusually sculptural accent to the architectural design. The lower doors have related carved circular bosses.
 
Between the upper and lower sections are two side-by-side drawers, their fronts concealed within a prominent band of heavy gadrooning. The deeply carved repeating ornament gives the appearance of a continuous architectural molding while incorporating the drawers almost invisibly into the design. This strong horizontal band provides a visual division between the two bodies and balances the pronounced vertical lines of the fluted pilasters.
 
Smaller carved moldings, including egg-and-dart and leaf decoration, are repeated around the doors and throughout the case. The massive projecting cornice is built up in several carved and molded levels, while the paneled sides continue the architectural character of the façade without competing with its more elaborate carving.
 
The combination of classical architectural elements, dense but carefully controlled low-relief ornament, and finely carved walnut is characteristic of Renaissance cabinetmaking in Lyon. Despite the abundance of decoration, the cupboard remains remarkably orderly in its design: the strong horizontal moldings and repeated vertical pilasters give the piece an imposing but balanced appearance.
 
Bibliography:
See Jacqueline Boccador, *Le Mobilier français du Moyen Age à la Renaissance*, Saint-Just-en-Chaussée 1988.
See Jacques Thirion, *Le Mobilier du Moyen Age et de la Renaissance en France*, Dijon 1998.
See Ludmila Virassamynaiken (ed.), *Lyon Renaissance. Arts et Humanisme*, exhibition catalog (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon), Paris/Lyon 2015. (1491907)

Condition: Minor dents, scratches, and cracks commensurate with age.  Faithful restoration of the  carved horizontal board above the center drawers, and the two bottom drawers, and probable other minor restorations.