# Court Cupboard

- By: England
- Date: c. 1660
- Medium: Oak and iron
- Classification: Furniture
- Dimensions: 122 × 123.9 × 45.8 cm (48 × 48 3/4 × 18 in.)
- Culture: England
- Credit line: Gift of Neville and John Bryan
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/198122)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/367be130-7844-d097-a218-5a99aa5a2dbf/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

From the medieval period to the seventeenth century, prosperous households used short, tiered cupboards or sideboards of this kind for the display of silver, ceramics, brass, or pewter. The name comes from the French word for court—meaning small—and was likely used to distinguish this kind of object from larger cupboards used to store linens and other household goods.

Most court cupboards used principles of classical architecture—particularly columns—to organize the tiers. This one is more unusual with its additional play of ornament and polygonal base and shelves that break forward with several drawers hidden in the moldings.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0