Chest of drawers

Classicist chest of drawers In the second half of the 18th century, as the fashion for interior decoration changed, Rococo was replaced by Classicism, known in France as the ‘Louis XVI style’, in Austria as the ‘Josephine style’, in England as the ‘Regency style’, and in Poland as the ‘Stanisław August style’. The previously curved Rococo planes and flowing lines of the chest furniture got straightened, were made static and tamed by the principles of architectural division. The principle of balance between vertical and horizontal divisions, recalling the Antiquity, became dominant once again. This can be very well seen on the example of a veneered chest of drawers from the former collection of the Potocki family. Its cuboid shape with truncated front edges is emphasised by decorative castings in gilded bronze representing motifs of fluted consoles with festoons, volutes, acanthus and rosettes in oval frames. As in architecture, its structure transits into a clearly distinguishable moulded finial containing the upper drawer. Drawer fronts are separated by horizontal crossbars. The shape of the drawers is emphasised by the rectangular outline of the pearling taken from the repertoire of antique motifs. The decorative detail is completed by circular drawer handles imitating antique laurel wreaths. The gilded bronze casts placed on the walls of this piece of furniture are harmonised but independent of each other, they do not combine into one common composition. The granite legs, tapering downwards and ending in brass brackets, are clearly cut off from the body. The typically Classicist white marble top repeats the outline of the furniture layout. Teresa Bagińska-Żurawska https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9243-3967