Object details
Object number
F21n20
Creator(s)
French, Arles
Title
Bread Cage (Panetière)
Date
about 1750-1800
Medium
Walnut
Dimensions
104.1 x 77.5 x 43.2 cm (41 x 30 1/2 x 17 in.)
Provenance
Gift from the painter Dodge MacKnight (1860-1950) to Isabella Stewart Gardner, 23 December 1907.
Commentary
This extremely ornate walnut box served the humble purpose of keeping bread away from rats and other pests. Typical of the Provençal region in the south of France, the panetière was hung on the wall, where rodents could not reach its contents.
Bibliography
Gilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 174. (as French, Arles; dated 18th century)
Karen E. Haas. "Dodge Macknight -- painting the town red and violet..." Fenway Court (1982), p. 43, fig. 4.
Gallery
Dutch Room
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