Cabinet-vitrine, 1899. Designed by Gustave Serrurier-Bovy (Belgian, 1858–1910). Red narra wood, ash, copper, enamel, glass. 98 x 84 x 25 in. (248.9 x 213.4 x 63.5 cm). Marks: SERRURIER/LIEGE (stamped on back three times). Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Macklowe, 1981 — Acession number: 1981.512.4. The Museum retains copyright but permits reproduction for non-commercial use.
Belgian artists were at the forefront of the European Art Nouveau movement and the allied field of Symbolist painting. Serrurier-Bovy, an architect and furniture designer, occupied an important position as the first Belgian master of Art Nouveau, closely followed by Henri van de Velde and Victor Horta. The echoes of structural Gothic in the supports and the glazing bars of the glass doors hark back to English mid-century designs, which also influenced the Parisian Hector Guimard at this same time. The cabinet was shown at the opening of Serrurier-Bovy's Paris showroom, where it dominated the dining-room display in his inaugural exhibition L'art dans l'habitation. — Museum Web site
Last modified 11 May 2013