Round serpentine glass cabinet with doors and sides with leaded glass. Gilded carvings and inlays. Manufactured in Italy, first half of the 20th century.
Product Condition: Fair condition. Wear consistent with age and use.
Walnut wood comes from the plant whose botanical name is juglans regia , probably originally from the East but very common in Europe. Light or dark brown in color, it is a hard wood with a beautiful grain, widely used in antique furniture. It was the main essence in Italy throughout the Renaissance and later had a good diffusion in Europe, especially in England, until the advent of mahogany. It was used for solid wood furniture and sometimes carvings and inlays, its only big limitation is that it suffers a lot from woodworm. In France it was widely used more than anything else in the provinces. In the second half of the eighteenth century its use decreased significantly because mahogany and other exotic woods were preferred.
Thuja
Fragrant and resinous wood, also used in ancient times for sacrificial rites. Due to its hardness and reddish-brown color very close to black it was used in cabinet making for veneers and inlays.