A French carved walnut armoire à deux corps part late 16th/early 17th century

with a triangular pediment carved with cherubs, the upper section with a frieze centered by a tablet of reclining Venus above a pair of doors carved with roundels with Bacchic figures enclosing a shelf, the angles mounted with standing neo-classical figures representing the four seasons, the rear stiles with bearded male terms, the lower section with two frieze drawers above a pair of cupboard doors carved with roundels enclosing female figures interposed by male terms supporting a scrolled corbel on their head, the sides incised with diaper motif enclosing foliage on bun feet

More impressive in reality. Colour slightly darker and more natural and attractive than in the catalogue. Attractively carved. There are some old vertical cracks in the figure on the left side at the front which can easily be filled and an old crack on the figure at the front of the right side. There is a restored crack in the body of the term figure between the doors on the lower section as visible from the catalogue photograph but this has been well executed and is hardly noticeable. There is a construction crack at the front left corner of the lower section where the side meets the top which can easily be filled. Old minor marks chips and scratches. In overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
J.Thirion, Le mobilier du Moyen Age et de la Renaissance, Dijon, 1998, p. 98.
This armoire with its broken pediment and term figures at the angles with two doors and two drawers, and neo-classical roundels is typical of the French armoires during the Second Renaissance.  Thirion, op. cit., illustrates on p. 98, an armoire from the Abbey of Clairvaux, now in the National Museum of Écouen, reproduced her in fig.1.  Although more richly sculpted than the offered lot, it is of similar conception with its broken pediment, architectural outline and term figures. It even has similar carving on the lower stiles. The cabinet-makers at this time often took their inspiration from the engravings of Du Cerceau, see for example a design for an armoire by Du Cerceau, (Baldus no. 7), illustrated by Thirion, op. cit., p. 94, reproduced here in fig. 2.

The history of the armoire:
Until the end of the Renaissance, armoires were intergrated into the structure of of a building and it was not until the middle of the 16^th century that they took up a three dimensional space. In the inventories of the Connétable Anne de Montmorency in 1568, there is mentioned, 'de grans armoires de boys à mectre habillements, ouvrans à deux battans, attachées à la muraille'. Furthermore, in the 'cabinet de curiosités'  of Catherine de Medici in 1589, there  is also mentioned, `Une grane armoire à dix guichetz près et joignant la muraille du costé des fenêtres...". These armoires were placed into the walls and presumably not detachable, nor were they adorned.

By the second half of the sixteenth century it is possible to discern several different types of armoires. The rather more rectangular ones with vertical divisions such as columns or terms are a common trait in the Northern tradition. The armoires with a much larger lower section with very rich and defined carvings are akin to the Bougogne and Midi regions. This should not be blindly accepted as the rule since the wealth of carving of the south and the architectonic features of the north were admired by both and incorporated by each and there was this crossover.

Jacques Androuet du Cerceau:
Jacques Androuet, c.1520-c.1584, surnamed du Cerceau thought to derive from the emblem of a circle marking his workshop, was the father of the dynasty bearing his name. He was a French designer and architect who published very influential engraved designs for silver, furniture and textiles. Although he was referred to by contemporaries as architecte and was even appointed architecte du roi, it is his engravings, produced from 1549, for which he was greatly respected and widely remembered. In 1559, upon is arrival in Paris, he produced the celebrated Livre d'architecture dedicated to Henri II in 1559 and Les plus excellents bastiments de France (1576, second volume 1579) which remains his best known work and was one of the most influential architectural publications of its time.