Rare Solid Mahogany Wedding Armoire, Haute-Normandie 18th Century.

Probably from Fécamp, this wedding armoire with its decoration of roses and doves is a rare example of Upper Normandy port furniture in American mahogany.
Made in the Louis XV style, it stands on projecting legs with traditional scrolls, a curved lower crosspiece carved in its center with a medallion of a bouquet of sprays of flowers tied with a ribbon, and rounded front jambs with a finely molded reserve, The curved top rail is prominently carved with a wreath of roses and a pair of doves pecking at each other on the rim of a chalice, crowned with two acanthus leaves, the design continues with roses at the bottom of the rail, topped by a cornice with a double vigneau in the form of inverted volutes.
The doors are curved at the top, edged with a projecting molding, and have two flat-banded panels. The top and middle rails are curved, and the middle rail is carved with a flowery wicker basket in a medallion and flowery branches in lateral reserves.
The joiner has used mahogany grain for all the visible elements - uprights, crosspieces and side panels - and reserved planks of speckled mahogany for the door panels. This precious, highly decorative wood, much appreciated by Parisian cabinetmakers for their luxurious production, plays with the light and enlivens the panels, reminding us of the decorative effects of oak mesh traditionally used in the manufacture of fine Normandy furniture.
The back of the cabinet is carefully designed, consisting of 2 elements that bring together large crosspieces, molded intermediate uprights and panels, all in quarter-sawn oak. This same quarter-sawn wood is used for the floor, top and 3 shelves.
The 3 shelves are the original ones, finished with a mahogany drawer rail, while the intermediate shelf is fitted with 2 suspended drawers, also original, made of oak with a mahogany front, and fitted with a drawer pull ring on an embossed brass rose with a lion's head motif.
Mahogany is a dense, rot-proof wood that can withstand the test of time, and while it's highly corrosive to cutting tools, it offers a deep color and, above all, a fine sculptural quality, as evidenced by the well-detailed flowers and foliage, and the highly realistic basketwork.
The cabinet is adorned with its original copper fittings and hinges, the hinges with turluped vases and ribbed rings, and the large, carved rooster-head escutcheons.
Original iron box lock with period key.
This piece of furniture is in a very fine state of preservation, a few rare restorations have been carried out over time, the woods present beautiful colors, no discoloration and beautiful patina.
Dimensions :
Height: 255 cm
Width to cornice: 150 cm
Width to carcase: 142 cm
Depth to carcase: 54 cm
Depth to cornice: 61 cm

Ref: LNHB1YQPT1