“Mechelen” credenza

The credenza is made of carved stained oak. It is composed of two parts with elaborately carved Renaissance motifs in wood such as the seashell, vines, acanthus leaves, volutes, garlands, and columns. The lower part has double doors and two drawers. The door panels feature relief-carved motifs, and in the central area, there are rectangles with diamond cuts framed by stylised acanthus leaves and other decorative elements. The upper part, with glazed double doors, is supported by two lathe-turned profiled columns. The doors are glazed with Butzen glass, multicoloured glass tiles connected with lead. The central oval field features an image of a rearing lion. The decoration in the upper part of the credenza is formed as a prominent profiled cornice. On the inside, the lower part of the lathe-turned column bears the inscription P. MANASSA, likely the name of the craftsman who made the credenza.

On the inner metal part of the locking mechanism, there is an engraved seal with the inscription V. F. PARIS and an image of two crossed keys. This refers to the eminent locksmithing firm founded in 1864 in Troyes, which has been named Vechette Fréres since 1865. They were leading lock manufacturers in France, and their seal can be found on some of the most significant furniture pieces created in the late 19^th century.

This type of credenza is named Mechelen after the Belgian city where the production centre of this high-quality furniture was located.

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