Pottier & Stymus
Parlor Cabinet

Parlor Cabinet

Public Domain

Parlor Cabinet
MakerAmerican, active c. 1859–1910
ArtistFrench, 1811–1878
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Parlor Cabinet
Datec. 1862
PlaceParis, , France
PlaceNew York City, New York, United States
MediumRosewood, burled ash, maple, eastern white pine, other woods, gilt, and bronze
Dimensions55 × 54 × 22 7/8 inches (139.7 × 137.2 × 58.1 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Agnes Cullen Arnold Endowment Fund
Object number91.1306.A,.B
Current Location
The Audrey Jones Beck Building
108 Hevrdejs Gallery
On view

Explore Further

Department
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Object Type
DescriptionWith 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 panel depicting Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, was made in France by specialist craftsman Joseph Cremer.

Provenance[Sypher & Co., New York, c. 1880-1881];[…];[Sotheby’s, London, May 31, 1991, lot 122]; [Margot Johnson, Inc. New York, 1991]; purchased by MFAH, 1991.
Exhibition History"American Made: 250 Years of American Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 7 July 2012 - 2 January 2013.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed on sticker on verso of cabinet, upper right: "Sypher & Co/ Successors to D. Marley/ Antiques & Articles of Virtue/ 739 & 741 Broadway, N.York"

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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Tall Case Clock
Pottier & Stymus
Tall Case Clock
c. 1875
Cherry, eastern white pine, parcel-gilt, glass, and metals
88.105
Desk
Herter Brothers
Desk
1869–1871
Maple, bird's-eye maple, rosewood, white oak, butternut, cherry, other woods, and brass; textile not original
77.373
High Chest
High Chest
c. 1700–1725
Black walnut, burled walnut veneer, soft maple, and aspen; eastern white pine, hemlock, and birch
B.69.43
Table
Table
c. 1825–1835
Rosewood veneer; eastern white pine, soft maple, marble, paint, and gilt
B.67.40
Side Chair (one of a pair)
Side Chair (one of a pair)
c. 1810–1825
Mahogany, ebony, and rosewood; ash, eastern white pine, and brass
B.69.72.2
Side Chair (one of a pair)
Side Chair (one of a pair)
c. 1810–1825
Mahogany, ebony, and rosewood; ash, eastern white pine, and brass
B.69.72.1
Commode
Commode
c. 1770
Walnut veneer; marquetry of tulipwood, elm, rosewood, and calamander; secondary woods: mahogany, red pine group, spruce, white oak group; and ormolu
96.1238
Side Chair
John Philip Fondé
Side Chair
c. 1816
Painted and gilded ash; eastern white pine and white oak with reproduction moiré
B.2007.2
Square Piano
Gibson & Davis
Square Piano
c. 1810–1815
Painted and gilded mahogany, mahogany veneer, satinwood, soft maple, and holly; yellow-poplar, holly, beech, basswood, cherry, soft maple, eastern white pine, hemlock, mahogany, and ash
B.57.4
Armchair
Armchair
c. 1790–1800
Eastern white pine, soft maple, white oak, mahogany, and ash. Old but not original green paint.
B.69.411
Sideboard
Joseph Meeks & Sons
Sideboard
c. 1825–1835
Gilded mahogany and mahogany veneer; white oak, soft maple, ash, eastern white pine, and yellow-poplar
B.67.6
Armchair
Armchair
c. 1785–1800
Eastern white pine, soft maple, ash, red oak, and white oak
B.69.402