| a sideboard of the 16th and 17th centuries, having three open tiers, the middle of which sometimes has a small closed cabinet with oblique sides. |
court cupboard
sideboard with three tiers, used mainly for displaying plate and therefore a focal point of the interior. It was a variant of the buffet and was fashionable throughout the 16th century and during the first three-quarters of the 17th, more commonly in northern than in southern Europe. Some examples were fitted in the upper stage with a cupboard, the front corners of which were set at an oblique angle to the front panel. Drawers were often included in the friezes, or horizontal bands, in the centre and top tiers.
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