A REGENCY SIMULATED ROSEWOOD AND PAINTED CABINET-ON-STAND, decorated overall with scrolling foliage simulating inlaid ivory, the canted rectangular top above a pair of doors each decorated on an ebonised ground with polychrome chinoiserie scenes of figures in gardens, the interior with twelve variously-sized drawers decorated with scenes of the area around Clifton alternating with flowers, around a central fielded panelled door decorated on an ebonised ground with a chinoiserie courtier smoking, the stand with inset frieze and on square tapering legs joined by a platform undertier, on bun feet, the frieze of the stand with structural restorations, the reverse of the inner door reputedly bearing a pencil inscription Made by George Wimpear in the employ of Mr Loudon, December 6th 1821, with pencil inscription beneath a drawer Aban... B. Martin Westbury

Details

A REGENCY SIMULATED ROSEWOOD AND PAINTED CABINET-ON-STAND, decorated overall with scrolling foliage simulating inlaid ivory, the canted rectangular top above a pair of doors each decorated on an ebonised ground with polychrome chinoiserie scenes of figures in gardens, the interior with twelve variously-sized drawers decorated with scenes of the area around Clifton alternating with flowers, around a central fielded panelled door decorated on an ebonised ground with a chinoiserie courtier smoking, the stand with inset frieze and on square tapering legs joined by a platform undertier, on bun feet, the frieze of the stand with structural restorations, the reverse of the inner door reputedly bearing a pencil inscription Made by George Wimpear in the employ of Mr Loudon, December 6th 1821, with pencil inscription beneath a drawer Aban... B. Martin Westbury
36in. (91.5cm.) wide; 64½in. (164cm.) high; 17in. (43cm.) deep

Lot Essay

The 'Clifton' cabinet, with its 'Indian' flowered borders and local views around Bristol combined with Chinese picturesque scenes, reflects the taste for the exotic encouraged by East India Company imports and the rustic style created by George, Prince of Wales, later King George IV, at his Marine Pavilion, Brighton around 1800

The opening of Rudolph Ackermann's print shop, drawing school and art supply store in London in 1795 and his publication of The Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions 1809 - 28, which included ornaments for paintings on wood, encouraged the fashion for related decorative penwork furniture. The newly invented copper rollers helped popularise this style of Asian floral borders enclosing landscape scenes, which is also found on contemporary transfer-printed pottery wares (see: 'Penwork: The Triump of Line', Exhibition Catalogue, Hyde Park Antiques, New York, 1989.

A monochrome penwork library table of similar character, decorated with 'pittoresque' scenes of Chinamen on floating islands with elaborate 'Indian' floral borders, is signed by Henzell Gouch and dated 1815 (illustrated F. Collard, Regency Furniture, Woodbridge, 1985, p. 319, pl. 40)

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