ANOTHER CHARLES PERCIER COIN CABINET

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V17 2014 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 17, Number 35, August 24, 2014, Article 13

ANOTHER CHARLES PERCIER COIN CABINET

Scott Miller writes:

Regarding the V&A’s acquisition of a medal cabinet, there is a similar cabinet in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Museum was given the cabinet by Collis P. Huntington in 1900. If I recall correctly, there are a number of medals that can be seen in the cabinet, though they appear to be later strikes.

Thanks! The Met's coin cabinet is also attributed to Charles Percier. See the images below of the V&A’s cabinet for comparison. Never thought I'd write "What a nice pair!" It would be awesome to own both of these cabinets, and place them side-by-side in a numismatic library. -Editor

Coin cabinet
Designed by Charles Percier
(French, Paris 1764–1838 Paris)

Maker: Probably by François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter (1770–1841)
Maker: Silver mounts by Martin-Guillaume Biennais (French, 1764–1843, active ca. 1796–1819)
Decorator: Decoration after drawings by baron Dominique Vivant Denon (French, Givry 1747–1825 Paris)
Date: ca. 1809–19
Culture: French, Paris
Medium: Mahogany, applied and inlaid silver
Dimensions: 35 1/2 x 19 3/4 x 14 3/4 in. (90.2 x 50.2 x 37.5 cm.)
Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
Credit Line: Bequest of Collis P. Huntington, 1900
Accession Number: 26.168.77

Dominique Vivant-Denon was director of the mint and of the Musée Napoleon (now the Musée du Louvre) as well as a collector and an arbiter of taste during the Napoleonic period. He accompanied the Egyptian campaign of 1798–99 as a draftsman and published his drawings as Voyage dans la basse et la haute Egypte (1802). The pylon at Ghoos, in Upper Egypt, served as the model for the top section of this medal cabinet, which was intended for Napoleon but remained in Denon's possession. The front and back panels are inlaid with a silver scarab flanked by uraei (sacred serpents) on lotus stalks. There are twenty-two drawers on each side of the cabinet, all inlaid with a silver bee. One wing is hinged to provide a pull.

The V&A's Percier medal cabinet

To read the complete catalog entry, see: Coin cabinet Designed by Charles Percier (French, Paris 1764–1838 Paris) (www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/195473?rpp=30&pg=1&ft=medal+cabinet&pos=7)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: V&A ACQUIRES RARE MEDAL CABINET (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n34a20.html)

Wayne Homren, Editor

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

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