The top surface of this almost square credenza, or closed cabinet, appears smooth and polished while the other surfaces are richly carved wood. The edges of the top angle in on both sides and front, then straighten out. Bands of carved molding appear on the front angled portion. Carved scrolling designs cover the drawer below, and two metal scrolled handles appear on opposite sides of a keyhole in the center of the drawer. After the drawer, a band of molding runs around the sides of the credenza. Ionic columns with a scrolling design flank the front of the cabinet. Elaborately carved door panels appear in between the columns. The knobs on the doors are carved faces. The bottom of the cabinet angles out and the bottom is slightly raised off the floor. The side of the cabinet to our right shows a large carved circle with a raised medallion in the center. In the medallion are carvings of animals and stars. There are some vertical cracks in the wood on this side.
Italian
Credenza,
about 1880
Carved wood
,
91.8 x 81 x 49.6 cm (36 1/8 x 31 7/8 x 19 1/2 in.)
Object details
Accession number
F14e2
Primary Creator
Italian
Full title
Credenza
Creation Date
about 1880
Provenance
Entered Isabella Stewart Gardner's by the early 1880s.
Dimensions
91.8 x 81 x 49.6 cm (36 1/8 x 31 7/8 x 19 1/2 in.)
Display Media
Carved wood
Web Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.
Permanent Gallery Location
Second Floor Stairhall and Stairway
Bibliography
Gilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 86. (style of the 16th century)
Fausto Calderai and Alan Chong. Furnishing a Museum: Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Collection of Italian Furniture (Boston, 2011), p. 87, no. 25.
Rights and reproductions
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Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.