The Francis I Renaissance Sideboard
M.S. Rau Antiques in New Orleans is selling astonishing Francis I Renaissance Sideboard. Created during the French Renaissance in Lyon, this astonishing 16th-century sideboard, or dressoir, is over 425 years old, and represents an inconceivably small number of furnishings from this era to exist-anywhere.
The most skilled artisans crafted the dressoir during the very first period of decorative furniture. Extremely meticulous, high-relief carving dominates this incredibly rare Francois I masterpiece, featuring Mannerist ornamentations including caryatids, strapwork, masks, arabesques and the four dramatic chimeras that link the upper cabinet to the molded base. The exterior is made entirely of walnut, with a sturdy oak interior.
The 16th-century sideboard is similar to one that is in the Frick Collection. In a blog post Bill Rau of M.S. Rau Antiques says that Henry Clay Frick bought the mate to this piece in 1917 paying $110,000 for it at the time or approximately $26,300,000 in 2010 currency. Considering this, and the fact that our dressoir is in wonderful condition, with its doors and drawers still in outstanding working order, this dressoir is the absolute rarest, most important piece of furniture on the market today.
A piece like this would be used in a dining hall to display and store the silver, linen and other items used in formal dinner services. It measures 71 3/4″ wide x 23 1/2″ deep x 65 3/8″ high and is priced at $985,000. [M.S. Rau Antiques]
The Francis I Renaissance Sideboard
The Francis I Renaissance Sideboard
The Francis I Renaissance Sideboard
The Francis I Renaissance Sideboard
The Francis I Renaissance Sideboard
