18th Century Walnut Master's furniture

Chest of drawers in walnut, curved front and sides, opening with two drawers trimmed with finely chiseled gilded bronzes.
It rests on charming little ''doe'' feet and has a monoxyl tray (in one piece) molded in corbin's beak.
This miniature model is built identically to a classic chest of drawers. The quality of the work suggests that it is indeed a small master piece of furniture certainly made by a companion after his tour of France.

Dimensions
W. 52 cm x D. 31 cm x H. 42 cm

France
Walnut
18th century

Master's furniture
Since the Middle Ages, to become a master in the time of the guilds, journeyman carpenters had to present a masterpiece which stood out as a scale model of a ''real'' piece of furniture.
Despite the complexity of the manufacture, which required meticulousness, concentration and experience, the execution of these miniature pieces of furniture had to be exemplary.
The spirit of companionship, made of disinterestedness, also wanted the masterpieces to remain anonymous, which makes attributions difficult.
There are also other miniature objects such as ''distractions''. These were executed by craftsmen outside their working hours, or when they were retired. The cabinetmaker, by passion or by challenge, executed a last work, the last testimony of his know-how and his skill.