Object Description
A very unusual early 19th Century painted carton pierre chest / cellaret decorated in the Adam Neoclassical style on tapering legs.
English Circa 1830.
Extremely well decorated in the Neo-Classical style of Robert Adam retaining the original paintwork. Of rectangular form and decorated with bell flower mouldings and swags, the hinged cover with a pair of oval medallions each depicting a profile human mask flanking a central oval with cherubs, the sides centred by grotesque masks raised on tapering square legs.
The interior with a velvet lining and to the rear of the cover having a hinged compartment.
This unusual and very decorative chest has the appearance of a cellaret but does not benefit from carrying handles or castors as one would, which makes you think this chest may have been intended for storage purposes with the provision of a lock to deter the less scrupulous visitors and servants. The inclusion of the shallow compartment within the hinged top might suggest a useful compartment for private folios and deeds with the possibility of it looking like cellaret – wine cooler as a decoy.
The decoration is in very good condition considering being of the 19th century with minor chips and looks to be papier-mâché often referred to as carton pierre.