The city of Lyon and its environs constitute a region in France which developed its own remarkable character in furniture production during the 18th century. This wardrobe, made out of dense and sometimes refered to as “mountain walnut,” demonstrates how “regional” French furniture could rival in quality and in spirit what was being made in Paris. 

Exceptionally large presentation wardrobes such as this, with triple “policeman’s hat” cornices, richly molded doors, and impressive carved shells are indeed very rare. However they are not rare enough to have escaped having become iconic examples of the rococo style and the history of Lyon. 

The size of this Lyonnaise piece (293cm or 115inches) is more imposing than the presentation armoires from the neighboring and sometimes stylistically similar regions of Burgundy and Dauphiné. Each door here is comprised of three paneled sections with the largest above and the smallest in the center. The owls head or parchment moldings around these center panels are fairly atypical. The side posts of this armoire feature a sculpted profile of a Roman Emperor from the time of ancient Gaul. Lyon or Lugdunum was then the capital of the Gauls during the Roman occupation. Perhaps this profile is that of emperor Claude, Auguste, or Tibère (surely copied from the profile on an ancient coin), but an analysis of their noses would be required to know for sure ;).

Dimensions: H: 115 in.     L: 68 in.     D: 30 in.  

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