A Continental walnut breakfront bibliotheque, with a rouge…
click the photo to enlarge
A Continental walnut breakfront bibliotheque, with a rouge marble top above a moulded cornice, and four glazed doors enclosing adjustable shelves on turned tapering feet. 213 cm high, 184 cm wide, 34 cm deep

You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.

Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item

When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

This item has been sold, and the description, image and price are for reference purposes only.
  • Cornice - The upper section of a high piece of furniture such as a bookcase, wardrobe or cabinet that sits immediately on the main structure. The cornice is usually decorated with a variety of architectural mouldings, worked either with a moulding plane or, from the later 19th century, by machine. The front and side of the cornice are mitred together, strengthened by glue blocks, and the back is generally a simple dovetailed rail to hold the structure together. Cornices are generally, though not always, fitted separately to the piece and are held in place either by screws sunk into the top board or by wooden corner blocks. A pediment may sit above the cornice, but sometimes the terms cornice and pediment are used interchangeably.
  • Turning - Any part of a piece of furniture that has been turned and shaped with chisels on a lathe. Turned sections include legs, columns, feet, finials, pedestals, stretchers, spindles etc. There have been many varieties and fashions over the centuries: baluster, melon, barley-sugar, bobbin, cotton-reel, rope-twist, and so on. Split turning implies a turned section that has been cut in half lengthwise and applied to a cabinet front as a false decorative support.
  • Breakfront - A design generally found in larger pieces of furniture, such as bookcases, wardrobes and some sideboards. The line of the front is interrupted by the middle section standing out from each end. In a reverse breakfront, the centre section is recessed behind each end. Breakfronted pieces are usually made in three sections the middle and the two wings which are held together by the cornice and pediment, and the plinth on which it stands. The sensible buyer should show caution before buying breakfront pieces, especially bookcases, which are highly desirable and expensive. Always check that the timber, colour, patination, backboards, decoration and thickness of the wood are same in each section.

This item has been included into following indexes:

Visually similar items

Antique walnut cupboard, with 2 doors opening to a hanging rail above faux drawer front, 114 cm wide, 54 cm deep, 183 cm high

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

A French Louis XVI style kingwood vitrine, the yellow marble top above a marquetry decorated frieze, below a pair a glazed doors with panels of floral marquetry on short tapering legs with ormolu sabots. 150 cm high, 80 cm wide, 30 cm deep

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Antique Henri II walnut two door bookcase, approx 216 cm high, 142 cm wide, 47 cm deep

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

A French Empire style mahogany bibliotheque, the frieze with applied ormolu anthemion above a glazed door flanked by pilasters, ormolu corbels and panel doors each with bronze portrait medallions on legs terminating in ormolu paw feet. 178 cm high, 160 cm

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.