Castle welcomes back valuable furniture after restoration

The unique Sun King Cucci cabinets have been reinstated at Alnwick Castle, in Northumberland, after painstaking restoration returned them to their former glory.

Experts say the exhibits, designed for King Louis XIV’s palace of Versailles, are the most priceless pieces of furniture in the world.

There is only one other single Cucci cabinet still in existence.

Liz Cornwell, senior guide at Alnwick, said the ostentatious cabinets were the “bling” of their day.

“They are made of slices of semi precious stones – lapis, banded agate and the like – laid in pictures and mosaic, and were designed to stand against a wall on display.

“They are gorgeous; typical Louis XIV bling.

“They went missing from Versailles during the French Revolution and resurfaced in Paris in 1823, when they were purchased by the third Duke of Northumberland.

“It is a bit of a miracle they survived. A lot of stuff was wrecked when the revolutionaries virtually sacked Versailles. So much was destroyed.

“It is what makes them so incredibly valuable; literally priceless.”

The cabinets, which before their renovation had not left the Castle since 1930, were absent for 18 months during the restoration.

King Louis XIV had the pair especially designed by Charles Le Brun and then made at the Gobelins by Domenico Cucci, and delivered to the palace of Versailles in 1683.

Each has a unique depiction – one a spaniel and one a monkey.

Their cousin, the third cabinet, sold for more than £4.5m in 2009. making it one of the most expensive pieces of furniture ever sold.