A fine and rare pair of George III Chinese soapstone-mounted padouk, rosewood, mahogany and bamboo cabinets-on-stands circa 1765, the Chinese soapstone-mounted panels, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period

each cabinet with a blind-fret carved gallery above a pair of cupboard doors mounted with lacquer and soapstone panels, the first opening to four long drawers mounted with lacquer and soapstone panels, the other opening to four long drawers veneered with padouk, each raised on a conforming stand with blind-fret carved frieze on square legs joined by pierced brackets and ending in guttae feet.  Restorations and replacements.

The Quicke Family, Newton House, Newton St. Cyres, near Exeter, Devon
Sold, Christie's, London, June 27, 1985, lot 143
Carlton Hobbs, New York

Monique Riccardi-Cubitt, The Art of the Cabinet, London, fig. 77

The Chinese soapstone with some later restorations and replacements mainly to the cabinet doors. Overall very good condition The blind-fret carved galleries to the tops replaced. The first cabinet with some restorations to the soapstone and lacquer panels including infilling and inpainting in places; the veneer in good condition; the drawer fronts with minor restorations including infilling and inpainting to the lacquer and soapstone panels; the stand with old repaired break and later glue to the top of back left leg at joins with left and back rails; old worm damage to the rails, which appear to have been sanded and stained; the blind fret carved frieze with large replacement to front right corner and with old repairs and worm damage throughout; three pierced brackets replaced; the stand is sturdy. The second cabinet with some old restorations to the soapstone and lacquer panels including some inpainting and infilling; some lifting to the veneers of the back side of the right door; the stand with old worm damage; the rails appear to have been sanded and stained, now with a later cross-brace; five pierced brackets replaced; the blind fret carved frieze with large replacement to front left corner and with some minor old restorations.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The Chinese bamboo veneer panels incorporating carved soapstone figures and objects were made throughout the Qianlong period during the Qing Dynasty in the 18^th century.  Often these panels were of small size and hung on the wall, or part of various pieces of furniture.  A number of examples exist in the Imperial Chinese Collection, now at the Palace Museum in Beijing.  Furniture mounted with these panels include a red sandlewood throne (No. 18), two hanging panels, each approximately 111 cm by 76 cm (Nos. 180 and 182) and a screen (no. 190) (Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2002, vol. 54).  Only a small group of European furniture is known to exist which incorporate similar panels including two Boulle marquetry armoires-médaillers, made for Joseph Pellerin, Commissaire général de la Marine,now in the Cabinet des Médailles in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.  Other panels include one which sold, Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, November 5-6, 1996, lot 1002 and a set of six panels which sold Christie’s, Hong Kong, September 29, 1992, lot 940.

Two English cabinets made in the 18^th century incorporating these panels include one which sold at Christie’s, New York, Property from a Sutton Square Residence, October 18, 2005, lot 72 and one which sold Christie’s, London, July 4, 1996, lot 359.

The design of the cabinets relates directly to ones found in Chippendale’s Director, specifically from the  1^st ed., pub. 1754, Pl. XCI which was reproduced in the 3^rd ed., pub. 1762, no. CXX of a ‘Cabinet’, which includes a design for a ‘Chinese’ blind fret carving to the gallery.  Chippendale states that Plate XCI ‘Is a plain cabinet intended for Japan, the mouldings are all at large, and the sizes fixed to the design.’  Therefore it is fitting that the present cabinet be mounted with Chinese panels.  It is also interesting to note that many other cabinets on stands in the Director include gutae feet, as seen on the present cabinet.

The present cabinets on stands are by repute from Newton House, Newton St. Cyres, Devon, which has been the seat of the Quicke family since the 1550s.  John Quicke, son of Andrew Quicke Esq. (d. 1729), was High Sheriff of the county in 1757, and married in 1759, Jane, daughter and heir of Thomas Coster Esq., M.P for Bristol and had a number of sons.  The Quicke Family appears to have continued to reside in the house up to the present day.