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Source Description
One of the obligations of a wealthy existence in the early 1700s was an interest in reading, or at least the impression of developing such an interest. Large bookcases such as these helped in that pursuit as they kept elaborately leather-bound books neatly behind a screen. The broad panels of marquetry and gilt-bronze mounts below suggest that the overall decorative scheme of figures symbolizing Geography and Commerce was perhaps more prominent than the rich intellectual holdings within.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
135086
label
Pair of Bookcases (Bibliothèques)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
135086
contentType
object
title
Pair of Bookcases (Bibliothèques)
description
One of the obligations of a wealthy existence in the early 1700s was an interest in reading, or at least the impression of developing such an interest. Large bookcases such as these helped in that pursuit as they kept elaborately leather-bound books neatly behind a screen. The broad panels of marquetry and gilt-bronze mounts below suggest that the overall decorative scheme of figures symbolizing Geography and Commerce was perhaps more prominent than the rich intellectual holdings within.
date
c. 1720
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60742010
creators
12198
genreSpecific
Furniture and woodwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 247.6 x 132.1 x 57.2 cm (97 1/2 x 52 x 22 1/2 in.)
cul
France, 18th century
accession
1958.129
Source extras
tec
kingwood and rosewood veneers, gilt metal mounts
tombstone
Pair of Bookcases (Bibliothèques), c. 1720. Attributed to Charles Cressent (French, 1685–1768). Kingwood and rosewood veneers, gilt metal mounts; overall: 247.6 x 132.1 x 57.2 cm (97 1/2 x 52 x 22 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1958.129
collection
Furniture
didYouKnow
Pairs of bookcases such as these would have likely flanked a large fireplace within the library of a grand house.
citations
citation
Foote, Helen S. “Armoire-Bookcases.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 46, no. 1 (January 1959): 10–13.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 10-13
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
galleryDonorText
Samuel Rosenthal Family Gallery
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:54:24.193000
sourceId
135086
dept
Decorative Art and Design
coll
Furniture
med
kingwood and rosewood veneers, gilt metal mounts
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
631fc002620d126f