Wine cooler
ca. 1780–90
Medium
Oak veneered with mahogany; gilt bronze, tinned copper liner
Dimensions
18 × 13 1/4 in. (45.7 × 33.7 cm)
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture
Culture
French, Paris
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Charles C. Paterson, 1966
Accession Number
66.208a, b
Art Historical Context
Step into the refined world of late 18th-century French luxury with this elegant wine cooler by Joseph Gegenbach, known Canabas, a skilled Parisian cabinetmaker active around 1780–. Crafted during the Louis XVI period, just before the French Revolution, it served as a stylish vessel for chilling wine at aristocratic dinners, reflecting the era's obsession with neoclassical elegance and sophisticated entertaining. Masterfully constructed from oak veneered with richly grained mahogany, the cooler features ornate gilt bronze mounts—delicate cast and chased elements that add a shimmering opulence...