THE LEWIS CABINET Jackson and Graham A very fine English ebony, ivory, mahogany and marquetry side cabinet

the upper part with a broken pediment centred by a cartouche with the initials J.L., for John Lewis, above a mirrored central section flanked by glazed cupboards and recesses, the lower part of the inverted breakfront form with cupboards flanking a further recess on a plinth base, decorated with marquetry arabesque panels including macassar and palmwood

John Lewis, Savile Hall, Halifax.

This fine cabinet can be closely associated with exhibited furniture, through both the owner, John Lewis and the makers, Jackson and Graham.

John Lewis of Halifax was a distinguished manufacturer of carpets, associated with three separate firms during his career. He went into partnership with John Brinton in 1858 and formed the firm of Brinton and Lewis of Kidderminster. They were associated with leading designers, Owen Jones and Christopher Dresser, who became their art advisor. They showed carpets at the Paris exhibition of 1867. In 1869, Lewis left Brinton and joined his uncles at John Crossley and Sons in Halifax, who also exhibited widely and employed Dresser for a period. Following this he set up his own business in 1872 at the Alhambra Works in Halifax. He exhibited at the Vienna Exhibition of 1873. He had considerable success with this venture as a rug made by him and designed by Dresser was given to the Emperor of Japan in 1876 and is now in the National Museum in Tokyo. He sold his business in 1882.

During the twenty four years he was in business Lewis would have come into contact with many of the leading designers and makers of the period. Jones and Dresser have already been mentioned, but he surely knew Jackson and Graham, who were perhaps the leading London makers throughout this period and it is probable that he supplied carpets to them. 

Jackson and Graham can claim a special place in the history of Exhibitions as they had designed the hangings and the podium for the Royal Party on the opening day of the Great Exhibition in London on May 11th 1851. They went on to show furniture at every exhibition until their closure in 1882, frequently winning prize medals. Alfred Lormier was one of their principal designers and is likely to have been associated with this cabinet. The cabinet or Coffret for Jewels shown in London in 1871 has a strikingly similar pediment and cartouche for the patron's initials as well as similar arabesque ivory marquetry panels. Jackson and Graham showed an exceptional cabinet at the Vienna, which we already noted was attended by Lewis, selling it for the extraordinary price of £4,000 to Lord Bective. This is the likely date for Lewis' commission, which may have been inspired by the Vienna Exhibition. Certainly Lewis' regular association with Jackson and Graham and their exhibition oeuvre must have made him keen to commission a piece from one the leading furniture makers of the period.