Buffet Carved with Famous Painting

This is an unusual story about an antique French buffet with a carving inspired by a well-known French painting.  Our customer Saul in Gurnee, IL, bought the antique Renaissance buffet from us last year while he and his wife were building a new home. Now they are settled in, Saul got in touch to purchase a bench from us and he also sent us a photo of the buffet in place. So let's take a look!
This is the gorgeous antique Renaissance buffet, fabulously carved in walnut and dating to about 1900. On the top center door, there is a carving of two lovers on a swing under a tree, based on the 1873 painting titled Le Printemps (Springtime) by Pierre-Auguste Cot. I first saw the buffet at an antiques market in France and I was wowed by the carving of the lovers, so we had it shipped home to the gallery. The patina of the walnut is very nice - it has a warm glow. The Renaissance Revival Henry II-style buffet is also carved with other Renaissance-style flourishes, fruit, and faces.

On this close-up of the door you see the lovers better. Isn't it romantic and exquisitely carved? You can almost feel the breeze wafting through the folds of their robes.  Here's the original Le Printemps so you can see how well the carving capture the painting, but in three dimensions:

The artist  Pierre Auguste Cot lived from 1837 to 1883 and among his many prizes and medals he was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. Le Printemps was one of his two most famous paintings. It is now on display in New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art .

And finally... here's the buffet in Saul's home. He says that he loves it! I noticed the nice table too with figure carvings on the legs. Saul told me it was an antique and be bought it because he liked it. I would guess that it may be French Renaissance dating to the turn of the century and I think it is also made in walnut,  so it is the perfect complement to the buffet.

Saul also just bought this handsome new bench or window seat from us. It's a very good match for the antique Renaissance pieces he has, with the leather upholstery, nailhead trim, decorative stretcher and a blackwash finish. I hope we'll get a photo of this piece in your lovely new home too, Saul! I can't wait to see how you continue to curate the furnishings and other decor as you obviously have a very clear vision in mind and it all looks terrific so far!

We'd love to hear readers' comments about the carving of the painting. What do you think? Share your opinion in the comments.