A CHARLES II BRASS-MOUNTED BLACK, POLYCHROME AND GILT-JAPANNED CABINET- ON-SILVERED-STAND
PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF NEIL AND SHARON PHILLIPS (LOTS 20-50)
A CHARLES II BRASS-MOUNTED BLACK, POLYCHROME AND GILT-JAPANNED CABINET- ON-SILVERED-STAND

CIRCA 1680

Details
A CHARLES II BRASS-MOUNTED BLACK, POLYCHROME AND GILT-JAPANNED CABINET- ON-SILVERED-STAND
CIRCA 1680
The rectangular cabinet with two doors decorated with lush flowers and figures by a pavilion, the sides with floral sprays and insects, opening to reveal an arrangement of drawers decorated with figures, pagodas, birds, flowers and animals, the stand ornately carved with strapwork, scrolling foliage and centered with opposing putti, on cabriole legs carved with busts and entwined foliage ending in heavily scrolled toes, stand resilvered, decoration refreshed
64 in. (162.5 cm.) high, 41½ in. (105.5 cm.) wide, 22 in. (56 cm.) deep (2)

Lot Essay

The two-door lacquer cabinet enclosing small drawers is one of the most successful examples of authentic Asian design suitable for domestic use in Europe. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Japanese and Chinese lacquer cabinets were imported and mounted on elaborate stands. Screens and other objects were cut down to be used as borders and panels on furniture, often with elaborate mounts and crestings, to showcase their rarity and quality. European craftsmen saw an opportunity in the market and created a facsimile of this lacquered decoration in a technique which came to be known as Japanning. The above lot is a demonstration of this technique, with its Asian-based form of a cabinet decorated with whimsical Chinese figures. The silvered stand's heavily sculptural cherub legs and central shell were popular from 1675-80. A related stand in giltwood is illustrated in Adam Bowett's English Furniture from Charles II to Queen Anne, plate 5:31. p 163. A cabinet with a related stand was sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 21 November 1985, lot 145.

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