Lie painted the cupboard in a traditional Norwegian decorative technique known as rosemaling or rose painting. By 1870 this style of ornament was going out of fashion, and this cupboard is a rare example of the continuation of this tradition in nineteenth-century America. The floral forms on the door panels are typical of rosemaling in Valdres, Lie’s home district in Norway. The blue and white shapes framing the doors are more characteristic of the district of Sogn. While lions, dragons, horses, and other animal motifs are common in Norwegian folk art, the hunting scene with lions and dogs at the center of the lower drawer may have been Lie’s own invention.
View more examples of furniture made by Aslak Olsen Lie in the Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database.