Description:

Rare and Important Louisiana Inlaid Cherrywood and Cypress Armoire, c. 1810, molded cornice, inlaid frieze centered by a monogram "HR", Heloise Aurora Roland (b. 1795), inlaid doors with pierced brass escutcheon, fiche hinges; the interior with shelves and medial belt of drawers; paneled sides scalloped and spurred apron, cabriole legs, h. 79 7/8 in., w. 56 1/2 in., d. 24 1/2 in Provenance: Donna Heloise Aurora Roland (1795-1850) and Edmond Landry Grammont Filhiol (1789-1871); their son, Jean Baptiste Filhiol (1815-1885) and Nancy St. Clair Ballew (1822-1877); their son, Hardy Holmes Filhiol (1845-1909) and Louise Filhiol (1789-1871); their son, Jean Baptiste Filhiol (1815-1885) and Nancy St. Florence Miller (1878-1973); their daughter, Marie Adele Filhiol (1908-1997); D. Benjamin Kleinpeter, Sr., Baton Rouge, c. 1980. Ill. Holden, Bacot, et. al. Furnishing Louisiana, Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735-1835. New Orleans: Historic New Orleans Collection, 2010, p. 177, fig. 67. Note: The armoire was the most significant furniture form in the French colonies, from Canada through the Mississippi River Valley down to Louisiana and the French West Indies. In Louisiana beginning in the early nineteenth century, cabinetmakers were producing armoires in a distinctly Creole style, which was a rather unique integration of French and Anglo-American styles. This shift was a result of the sudden influx of èmigrè craftsmen as well as a growing demand for refined furniture by Louisiana’s increasingly wealthy population. The armoire offered here clearly demonstrates the new cultures that were essential in forming the Creole identity of New Orleans: the unmistakably French panel-and-frame construction, the West Indian restrained surface decoration and mitered joints, and the finished interiors and incorporation of inlay most often used among Anglo-American cabinetmakers. The use of cherry primary wood, inlay of stylized acanthus and a pinwheel rosette, scalloped-and-spurred skirt, and interior belt of drawers on this armoire closely relate to two other well-known examples. The distinctive group of Creole style armoires exhibit sophisticated design employing complex stringing, the aforementioned acanthus at the center stile terminals, and apron form. Other related armoires in this group include an example from the Ellender family of Terrebonne Parish, also in the Kleinpeter collection, and an example descended in the Stauffer family of New Orleans and Avery Island. The armoire offered here has sophisticated chamfered corner stiles extending to the cornice and hoof terminals on the cabriole making it the most refined of the group. Ref.: Holden, Jack, et al. Furnishing Louisiana, Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735-1835. New Orleans: The Historic New Orleans Collection, 2010, pgs. 175-177, figs. 65, 66, and 67.

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November 21, 2015 10:00 AM CST
New Orleans, LA, US

Neal Auction Company

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$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $9,999 $250
$10,000 $49,999 $500
$50,000 $999,999 $5,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $10,000
$2,000,000 $2,999,999 $15,000
$3,000,000 + $20,000