Lot Essay
In the period prior to 1700 English furniture underwent many influences from the Continent, in particular from Holland, whereas in the period thereafter an opposite current developed, with Dutch furniture gradually absorbing more influences from England.
Dutch cabinet-makers rapidly emulated several well-known types of English furniture, such as the bureau-bookcase, which was generally known as a `Engels Cantoor Cabinet' in contemporary sale notices and inventories. (R.J. Baarsen, Nederlandse Meubelen 1600-1800, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, 1993, p. 40)
It is interesting that the guild records of The Hague, for instance, indicate that, between 1711 and 1762, cabinet-makers working in that city were required to produce an `English cabinet' as their masterpiece. These records also include the names of two Englishmen, John Lywood and John Simney, who submitted their masterpieces in 1722 and 1723 respectively. (Th.H. Lunsingh Scheurleer, `The Low Countries' in H. Hayward (ed.), World Furniture, London, 1975, p. 166)
See illustration
Dutch cabinet-makers rapidly emulated several well-known types of English furniture, such as the bureau-bookcase, which was generally known as a `Engels Cantoor Cabinet' in contemporary sale notices and inventories. (R.J. Baarsen, Nederlandse Meubelen 1600-1800, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, 1993, p. 40)
It is interesting that the guild records of The Hague, for instance, indicate that, between 1711 and 1762, cabinet-makers working in that city were required to produce an `English cabinet' as their masterpiece. These records also include the names of two Englishmen, John Lywood and John Simney, who submitted their masterpieces in 1722 and 1723 respectively. (Th.H. Lunsingh Scheurleer, `The Low Countries' in H. Hayward (ed.), World Furniture, London, 1975, p. 166)
See illustration