Cigar Cabinet
Designed by Jean-Eugene Brandely (active France, 1867–1873)
This cabinet is the work of three artists: a designer, a cabinetmaker and retailer, and a sculptor. The composition balances monumental architectural forms with lively, playful bronzes. Designed as a humidor, it retains its interior drawers for cigars. The cabinet's sinister creatures were designed by Emmanuel Frémiet, one of the most sensitive and accomplished animal sculptors of the 19th century. Gothic in spirit, it reflects the fascination with Europe's medieval past that informed the work of many 19th-century French artists.