Cabinet
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1700
Materials
Walnut, giltwood, paint, iron hinges
Measurements
95 x 88 x 33 cm
Place of origin
Italy
Order this imageCollection
Snowshill Manor and Garden, Gloucestershire
NT 1332351
Summary
A walnut, carved giltwood and blue-painted shrine cabinet or altar for a private chapel, Italian, circa 1700. With a pair of pierced foliate-scroll double-hinged doors flanked by stop-fluted Corinthian columns opening to six plain walnut drawers flanked by eight small drawers concealed behind the columns, all surrounding a domed niche with three shallow stepped drawers beneath, a further long frieze drawer below, standing on paw feet, the crest formed of opposing scrolls centred with an armorial cartouche depicting an arm holding a torch beneath three stars, flanked by seven-point stars emanating from five semi-spheres. Charles Wade mentions this shrine in his notebook SNO.MISC.974. 'The delightful little FLORENTINE SHRINE at the end of Gallery Room. Small house, Gilded gesso with covered and pierced doors. From a family chapel bears the family Arms, a sleeved arm holding a torch and finials of mullets mounted on 3 domer the family crest. There are several secret drawers and a domed recess for chalice. This I saw in window of shop when speeding by on the top of a bus. BAKER ST. The owner told me the Spanish Ambassador Val deMer wanted it for a cigar cabinet! This he rightly considered sacrilege and refused to sell'. (pg 106).
Provenance
Given to the National Trust with Snowshill Manor in 1951 by Charles Paget Wade.