French Art Nouveau Cabinet

I recall the gravity of the situation when this piece entered the workshop, the interest and curiosity as the job progressed, and the exhuberance it generated once completed. I french polished this cabinet in Brussels in 1999 for an American collector who purchased the piece in Antwerp for his New York collection.

The photo shows me with the cabinet just as I had completed a 52 hour restoration. I stripped the unit back to bare timber, removed all copper mouldings, repaired damaged inlays and veneers, then french polished in high gloss using blonde shellac as per original. Copper mouldings, handles and glass were then refitted.