Kimbel & Cabus
Cabinet
1869-1879
Physical Qualities
Ebonized cherry wood, gilt copper alloy hardware, oil painted panels, two silver mirrors, two replacement silver mirrors, transparent glass, velvet., 81 1/2 x 52 x 20 in. (207 x 132.1 x 50.8 cm.)
Credit Line
The Richard C. von Hess Foundation Acquisition Fund; partial gift of Michael and Anis Merson; and purchase with exchange funds from Bequest of Margaret Anna Abell; Bequest of Eleanor M. Anderson; Bequest of Alice Worthington Ball; Decorative Arts Fund; Gift of Elizabeth S. Ellis, from the Estate of Margaret Anna Abell; Gift of William Bose Marye; Bequest of Margaret D. Morriss; Gift of Abram Moses, in Memory of his Wife, Carrie Gutman Moses; Gift of Mrs. John W. Nicol, Jr.; Gift of Merrell L. Stout, Jr., in Memory of his Father, Dr. Merrell L. Stout
Object Number
1999.150
Painted huntsmen on gilt backgrounds and carved brass hardware evoke a past far removed from the industrial era of the late 19th century. This cabinet by Anthony Kimbel and Joseph Cabus, leading furniture makers in New York City at the time, reimagines materials and patterns from Europe around the year 1400. Kimbel and Cabus were both recent immigrants from Europe and championed the “Modern Gothic” style. This design is one of the makers’ most sumptuous presentations of historical motifs for a contemporary collection. Only five known examples were produced, and the Museum’s cabinet retains its rare, original embossed green velvet.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by purchase, 1999; Private Collection, Lutherville, Maryland
David Park Curry, "PAINT! Japanned, Ebonised, Grained, and Polychromed Furniture," The Baltimore Museum of Art, December 2006 -November 2012.
Brooklyn Museum, "The Modern Gothic: The Furniture of Kimbel and Cabus, 1863-1882" July 2, 2021 - February 13, 2022.
Brooklyn Museum, "The Modern Gothic: The Furniture of Kimbel and Cabus, 1863-1882" July 2, 2021 - February 13, 2022.
On View at the BMA
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