Pottier & Stymus
Parlor Cabinet

Public Domain

ExpandFavorite

Images(3)

MakerAttributed to Pottier & Stymus(American, active c. 1859–1910)American, active c. 1859–1910

ArtistMarquetry attributed to Joseph Cremer (French, 1811–1878)French, 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

FURNITURE

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.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Discover More

Pottier & Stymus

Tall Case Clock

c. 1875

Cherry, eastern white pine, parcel-gilt, glass, and metals

88.105

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

c. 1700–1725

Black walnut, burled walnut veneer, soft maple, and aspen; eastern white pine, hemlock, and birch

B.69.43

Table

c. 1825–1835

Rosewood veneer; eastern white pine, soft maple, marble, paint, and gilt

B.67.40

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)

c. 1810–1825

Mahogany, ebony, and rosewood; ash, eastern white pine, and brass

B.69.72.1

Image Not Available

Pierre Roussel

Commode

c. 1750

Tulipwood and other woods, gilt bronze and marble

2021.363

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

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