Cabinet Doors & Fronts · Tudor & Tudor Revival
English Oak Court Cupboard (c. 1660)
An English oak court cupboard from about 1660, a short tiered cupboard used to display silver, pewter and ceramics, with carved panels and turned supports.
Design characteristics
Court cupboards were the status sideboards of Tudor and Stuart England, used to show off a household's plate. This one combines an enclosed upper cupboard with carved panels, an open or enclosed base, and bold turned and carved detail. Its design language, of carved frieze rails, geometric panels and bulbous turnings, is the basis of much Tudor Revival cabinetry. It is a good reference for a dining room buffet or a statement bar cabinet in a Tudor-style house.
Classification
- Category
- Cabinet Doors & Fronts
- Motifs
- Carved panel, Strapwork
- Date
- c. 1660
- Maker or designer
- England
- Recorded medium
- Oak and iron
- Dimensions
- 122 × 123.9 × 45.8 cm (48 × 48 3/4 × 18 in.)
- Evidence
- Documented historical object
- Source
- Art Institute of Chicago
Architectural context
Dark oak paneling, linenfold, strapwork and heavy plank doors. England · original c. 1485–1603; revival c. 1890–1940.
