Historical Styles: The Coin Cabinet, Essay Example

The Coin Cabinet is a special ornamental mahogany cabinet designed by Charles Percier for the French Emperor, Napoleon around 1809. Francois-Honore-Georges Jacob-Desmalter made the Coin Cabinet while Martin-Guillaume Biennais a French national also assisted in mounding the silver mounts. The eccentric silver and golden decorations on the Coin Cabinet were also done by a French National; Dominique Vivant Denon. Dominique however held custody of the Coin Cabinet as the director of the Napoleon Museum or rather Musee Napoleon, and also an eccentric art collector. At the time of its crafting, Napoleon had already gone into exile and hence it was sold in 1814 for 3600 francs, a huge amount at the time, and was even described as the médailler du Roi or the King’s Medalist for its exceptional quality.

The Coin Cabinet was made of 44 mahogany drawers mounted with silver linings. Additionally, the design appears more Egyptian as the pedestal was meant to raise the original medal cabinet for the Emperor. The historical context of this Coin Cabinet also depicts Napoleon’s interest in medals. For instance, Napoleon created special coins for special envoys across the world hence his need for a coin cabinet.

This cabinet’s design was under great influence from the Egyptian artistry. For instance, the Egyptian design is visible via the winged disk and a double image of uraeus on each side of the front-side. These uraei are silver in color and seem to face a particular emblem. The uraei is an image of a sacred cobra relevant in ancient Egypt. Atop the uraei there is a single band of silver tape woven across the cabinet’s edge. Moving further upwards, almost towards the top surface, an artistic impression of an emblem where two silver snakes face away from each other. These two uraei appear molded on top of a silver horizon-shaped strands whose background are the silver strands running vertically. Between the uraei resting on the stalks of a lotus is a winged scarab, which appears on both the cabinet’s front and the back panels. The uraeus eye is the keyhole such that an inserted key appears to be in the uraeus pupil. The insertion of the cabinet’s silver stick forces the snake forward opening the actual keyhole. The Uraei was a vital component of Egyptian art and culture as they depict Wadjet; one of the earliest Egyptian deities. Hence, the Egyptians wore the Uraei as a way of depicting their leader’s legitimacy. Uraeus also offered protection to the Egyptians by spitting fire hence its positioning on Napoleon’s Coin cabinet. Moreover, Uraeus was a status symbol exuding royalty similar to Napoleone’s stature, hence its inclusion on the Coin Cabinet.

These designs appear similar across all edges although the front side has the door hence has metallic hinges at the top and at the bottom. On opening the door, the wooden drawer fronts are clad with silver butterfly-shaped knobs which run across all the drawers. Every cupboard has twenty-two drawers which gradually decrease in size due to the chest’s inclined appearance. These drawers are inlaid with circular moulds to fit coins and medals, and on each drawer’s top edge appears a silver plaque, octagonal in shape. Moreover, at the central position of every drawer lies an insect-like silver object whose right wing has hinges to enable pulling.

Napoleon’s coin cabinet therefore exudes originality in terms of design and decoration while depicting his taste for Egyptian art; a popular art form in the early 19th Century. All components of the coin cabinet exalted Egyptomania; the art of adapting antique artistry from the Egyptian culture into a new one. For instance, the coin cabinet’s extensive use of Egyptian Uraeus and other components has been transformed to operate uniquely compared to its original antique use.