Corner-Cupboard (encoignure) c. 1745 - 1749

This corner cupboard, or encoignure, was made by Jean Desforges in France in the mid-18th century. Note the Chinoiserie motifs—the stylized depictions of East Asian landscapes, architecture, and figures—adorning its surface. These images, popular in European art of the time, reflect a fascination with the exotic East, though often filtered through Western imagination. We see pagodas, stylized trees, and figures in imagined oriental garb. Consider the willow tree, a recurring symbol across cultures, often associated with mourning and lost love, yet also with resilience and adaptability. Its presence here, alongside scenes of leisure and fantasy, speaks to the complex interplay of desire, projection, and cultural exchange. The cabinet embodies a dreamlike vision, tapping into our collective memories and desires. Such images remind us that symbols never truly die; they transform, migrate, and resurface, carrying echoes of the past into our present.