Bow-fronted cabinet
Unknown Artist
ca. 1760–65
Medium
Painted and varnished pine, ivory knobs on drawers
Dimensions
68 × 32 × 19 in. (172.7 × 81.3 × 48.3 cm)
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture
Culture
British
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, 1973
Accession Number
1974.356.130
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant bow-fronted cabinet, around 1760–65 in Britain exemplifies the refined furniture of the Georgian era. Its graceful serpentine front and compact dimensions (68 × 32 × 19 in.) made it ideal for domestic interiors, serving as a versatile storage piece for linens, silver, or valuables. Produced during a time when British cabinetmakers drew inspiration from French Rococo designs, it reflects the period's emphasis on comfort, symmetry, and ornamentation amid growing colonial trade influences. Fashioned from pine—a lightweight, affordable wood—then painted and varnished for durability a...