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Relic case

Relic case
Mahogany, mahogany veneer, yellow pine, glass, brass
1875-1920
Relic case
Relic case
Mahogany, mahogany veneer, yellow pine, glass, brass
1875-1920
Relic case Mahogany, mahogany veneer, yellow pine, glass, brass 1875-1920
Status
Not on view
Label Text

The Mount Vernon Ladies Association acquired this colonial revival cabinet to exhibit relics in the mansion at the turn of the twentieth century. Its form resembles that of library bookcases and desks-and-bookcases of the late eighteenth century, but features such as its towering size, glass-enclosed lower case, and distinctive shaped shelves affirm its purpose as a display cabinet.

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Date1875-1920
Geography Made - United States
DimensionsOverall (H x W x D): 91 in. x 47 in. x 17 1/2 in. (231.14 cm x 119.38 cm x 44.45 cm)
Credit LineMount Vernon Collection
Object numberM-2929
DescriptionRelic case or china cabinet with an inlaid, tablet-top pediment above a canted-corner upper and lower case, each with two glazed doors, on a plinth base. The pediment has a rectangular tablet at center, rounded front shoulders, and plain plinths at the front ends. The tablet is outlined with crossbanding; crossbanding also outlines the upper edge of the pediment and terminates in scrolls and circular lightwood terminals with darkwood centers. Below the pediment is a complex-molded cornice with crossbanding at the frieze. The lower case is crowned with an ogee-astragal-and-reverse ogee waist molding and has a cavetto base molding. Each of the glazed doors has a stamped, beaded, oval keyhole escutcheon and mullions or muntins arranged with three blocks between a central diamond in the upper and lower thirds. The interior of the upper case has three shelves shaped along their front edge with a cusped lunette at center flanked by ogees and the lower case has a single shelf of the same form.
Published ReferencesElswyth Thane. Mount Vernon: The Legacy. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company. pp. 90-92.

An Illustrated Handbook of Mount Vernon, 1921, p. 14.


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