The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Pair of Bookcases (Bibliothèques)
c. 1720
made by
attributed to Charles Cressent
(French, 1685–1768)
Overall: 247.6 x 132.1 x 57.2 cm (97 1/2 x 52 x 22 1/2 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1958.129
Location: 215 French, German, and Dutch
Did You Know?
Pairs of bookcases such as these would have likely flanked a large fireplace within the library of a grand house.Description
One of the obligations of a wealthy existence in the early 1700s was an interest in reading, or at least the impression of developing such an interest. Large bookcases such as these helped in that pursuit as they kept elaborately leather-bound books neatly behind a screen. The broad panels of marquetry and gilt-bronze mounts below suggest that the overall decorative scheme of figures symbolizing Geography and Commerce was perhaps more prominent than the rich intellectual holdings within.- Count Potocki, Castle Lancut, Poland; (Rosenberg and Stiebel, Inc., New York).
- Foote, Helen S. “Armoire-Bookcases.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 46, no. 1 (January 1959): 10–13. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 10-13 www.jstor.org
- {{cite web|title=Pair of Bookcases (Bibliothèques)|url=false|author=Charles Cressent|year=c. 1720|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1958.129