Pair of Cabinets
furniture maker
Unknown
Dateearly 19th century
Place MadeItaly, Europe
MediumMahogany and marble
Dimensions118.7 x 63.2 x 45.7 cm (46 3/4 x 24 7/8 x 18 in.)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberF17s2.1-2
eMuseum ID726620
EmbARK ObjectID17017
TMS Source ID5340
Last Updated8/14/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryWhile attending finishing school in Paris during the 1850s, Isabella Stewart Gardner was captivated by French literature, culture, and history. Of particular note is her interest in the former French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. This pair of cabinets piqued Isabella's interest when she came across them in a sales catalog being advertised as once belonging to Napoleon during his exile on the island of Elba. Although this provenance has never been confirmed, Isabella purchased them in 1880, and added them to the Short Gallery where she kept several other Napoleon-related souvenirs.
BibliographyNotesCatalogue. Fenway Court. (Boston, 1903), p. 15. (as "Cabinet...belonged to Napoleon I at Elba")
Gilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 133. (as French)
“Notes, Records, Comments.” Gardner Museum Calendar of Events 9, no. 42 (19 Jun. 1966), p. 2.
Rollin Hadley. “Notes, Records, Comments.” Gardner Museum Calendar of Events 9, no. 47 (24 Jul. 1966), p. 2.
Gilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 133. (as French)
“Notes, Records, Comments.” Gardner Museum Calendar of Events 9, no. 42 (19 Jun. 1966), p. 2.
Rollin Hadley. “Notes, Records, Comments.” Gardner Museum Calendar of Events 9, no. 47 (24 Jul. 1966), p. 2.
ProvenanceNotesPurchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner from the antiques dealers Sypher and Co., New York for $250 on 5 October 1880.
