Corner Cabinet
c. 1785
Medium
Oak, mahogany, marble, and gilt-bronze mounts
Dimensions
94.3 × 82 × 56.6 cm (37 1/8 × 32 1/4 × 22 1/4 in.)
Classification
case furniture
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
96539
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This corner was one of four made for the dining room of Marie Antoinette’s private retreat, which was built within the Petit Trianon complex on the grounds of Versailles. The retreat, a cluster of picturesque buildings including a mill, dairy and working farm, was known as Le Hameau, or The Hamlet. The marks painted and impressed on top of the cabinet, underneath the marble slab, indicate that it was made for the French queen. In keeping with the back-to-nature movement in vogue during the 1780...