Description

Pantry cabinet. Haute-Savoie. With a peasant look, roughly built, this type of furniture is in fact a very ingenious achievement. It finds its place in the cellar or the scullery, preferably in the open air during the summer periods. The action of the air current on the trellis lowers the interior temperature thus preserving the food stored on the shelves. It is in a way the ancestor of the refrigerator. It is encountered more frequently in high-knowledge. Known in many regions, it is often called the cheese cabinet, 19th century. Wicker and various woods.

The rectilinear frame is organized between four uprights of square section which end in beveled feet. On the facade and the two sides, crosspieces support the horizontal planks assembled with grooves and tongues. On the front, two wooden framed doors are attached to the uprights by nailed hinges. These two doors, like the sides, are braided wickerwork partially dyed so as to draw a checkerboard pattern over the entire surface of the trellis.

A wooden cleat keeps the two doors closed. The assemblies are with visible tenon and mortise crossed for the main crosspieces: with tenon, mortise and dowel for the doors. This piece of furniture, whose general structure is reminiscent of that of a two-door cupboard, makes it possible to dry the Reblochon cheeses in an enclosed space that is airy thanks to the wicker racks. It is typical of the valleys of Haut-Savoie. The Fessy Peasant Museum has a specimen, very close to this one.