Coin cabinet
Medium
Mahogany (probably Swietenia mahagoni), applied and inlaid silver
Dimensions
Overall: 35 1/2 × 19 3/4 × 14 3/4 in. (90.2 × 50.2 × 37.5 cm)
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture
Culture
French, Paris
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Collis P. Huntington, 1900
Accession Number
26.168.77
Tags
About the Artist
Martin-Guillaume Biennais|Charles Percier|François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter|baron Dominique Vivant Denon · 1764–1843
Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764–1843) was the most celebrated goldsmith and silversmith of the Napoleonic era, a craftsman whose work in precious metals became synonymous with the taste and grandeur of the First Empire. Beginning his career as a toy-maker and lacquer merchant, he made the remarkable transition to goldsmithing in the 1790s, establishing himself in Paris and rapidly attracting the p...