Cabinet Doors & Fronts · Georgian & Colonial Revival
Cabinet on Stand Attributed to William Vile, London (c. 1760)
A mahogany cabinet on stand attributed to William Vile, one of the leading London cabinetmakers of the 1750s and 1760s, with carved and finely figured veneered doors.
Design characteristics
William Vile worked in partnership with John Cobb and supplied furniture to the royal household. This cabinet shows the qualities associated with his workshop: carefully matched mahogany veneers and crisp carving framing the doors. The form is compact, with a cabinet above and an open stand below. As a reference for cabinet fronts, it demonstrates how much a door gains from bookmatched veneer and a narrow carved border, which can be adapted to a bar cabinet or a set of library cupboard doors.
Classification
- Category
- Cabinet Doors & Fronts
- Motifs
- Carved panel, Acanthus
- Date
- c. 1760
- Maker or designer
- Attributed to William Vile (born England, about 1700–1767) London
- Recorded medium
- Mahogany, ebony, boxwood
- Dimensions
- 120.7 × 53.4 × 42.6 cm (47 1/2 × 21 × 16 3/4 in.)
- Evidence
- Documented historical object
- Source
- Art Institute of Chicago
Architectural context
Symmetry, classical proportions and refined raised-panel woodwork. Britain and colonial America · original c. 1714–1830; revival c. 1876–1955.
