Lot Essay
It is rare to find such a specific Western form combined with Asian materials and such masterful Chinese joinery. Bureaus of this style appear in English furniture during the reign of King George II, evolved from earlier designs. Not only is this type of hardwood typical of Chinese furniture, but the joinery techniques are characteristically Chinese, assembled in such a way as to fit perfectly and to respond to climatic changes, which tend to be extreme in some parts of China.
A similar slant-top bureau, raised on a lion-foot stand, is in the Museum of the American China Trade (Milton/Massachusetts), illustrated in: 'The China Trade: Romance and Reality', Exhibition Catalogue, p.24. See also the bureau with bookcase illustrated by C.Crossman, op.cit., pl.79, p.227, with a similar plain front and paktong fittings.
A similar slant-top bureau, raised on a lion-foot stand, is in the Museum of the American China Trade (Milton/Massachusetts), illustrated in: 'The China Trade: Romance and Reality', Exhibition Catalogue, p.24. See also the bureau with bookcase illustrated by C.Crossman, op.cit., pl.79, p.227, with a similar plain front and paktong fittings.