Parlor Cabinet

With its extravagant ornamentation and luxurious materials, this cabinet is a dramatic example of mid-19th-century Neoclassical design. Elaborate parlor cabinets were often showpieces in the interiors of the very rich at that time. The prestigious New York cabinetmaking and decorating firm of Pottier and Stymus worked in a highly eclectic style that borrowed from Roman, Egyptian, and Renaissance sources. The elaborate marquetry (inlaid wood) panel depicting Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, was made in France by specialist craftsman Joseph Cremer.