A handsome and robust storage piece, this buffet deux corps was hand-carved in Haute-Normandie (“Upper Normandy”), France during the 19th century. The underside of the flat crown has been embellished with repeating niches above a cavetto molding. Just below that is a quarter round protuberance adorned with a bead and reel motif above three layers of molding.

Both the upper and lower sections have a pair of doors that open on large iron hinges, revealing full-length shelves (two in the upper body, and one on the lower). All doors have highly shaped panels with recessed moldings and foliate margents. Long and slender polished steel escutcheons run vertically along each door, fronting functional locks that open with separate keys for each body. A sinuous skirt adorned with a large rosette is flanked by a pair of stout cabriole feet in the front and shaped block feet in the back.

Our 19th century buffet deux corps was carved in oak wood by a highly skilled ebeniste. Originally produced with a darker finish, the cabinet has been bleached, leaving the wood in its natural color. This allows the deux corps to be used with a variety of interior styles.

CONDITION: Good antique condition with wear commensurate to age and use, including minor age separations and light traces of old wood worm to the interior. The wood has been bleached, but there are still slight traces of the original finish. Old repairs to the interior and the shelving of the upper body.