Furniture, Clocks & Works of Art
Furniture, Clocks & Works of Art
A Regency japanned cabinet-on-stand, circa 1820, in the manner of Frederick Crace
Auction Closed
November 9, 01:23 PM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A Regency japanned cabinet-on-stand
circa 1820, in the manner of Frederick Crace
the upper section with two cupboard doors decorated with a landscape, opening to reveal a fitted interior with fourteen drawers around a central niche with doors opening to further drawers, raised on a stand with four scrolling legs joined by a stretcher to the front
174cm. high, 100cm. wide, 49.3cm. deep; 5ft. 8½in., 3ft. 3⅜in., 1ft. 7⅜in.
Bequeathed to her solicitor, Luke Coleman;
His daughter, Florence Knibb;
Thence by descent until acquired by the present owner.
The present cabinet has affinities with the work of John and Frederick Crace, whose commissions included work for the Prince Regent at Brighton Pavilion between 1800 and 1804, where they designed interiors in the Chinese style.
Their accounts for this period show that the from the start the Craces were involved in much more than merely the applied decoration at Brighton. Not only did they amuse the Prince with a variety of Chinese curiosities, including costumes, ivory junks, and even `seven pounds' of Chinese tobacco', but large quantities of furniture were supplied by them too. Most of it seems to have been either Chinese - especially bamboo furniture - or English in the Chinese manner. In 1802 `One very Fine Japan India Cabinet...£14' was invoiced, the following year five more, one costing £15, and in 1804 a charge was made for japanning a stand for a cabinet in black and gilt (see Megan Aldrich (Ed.), The Craces Royal Decorators, 1768-1899, 1989, pp. 21-26).
It has been suggested that the present cabinet might have been a wedding gift from Queen Adelaide, the wife of William IV, to her maid of honour Carolina Boyle.
A side cabinet, with painted tole panels, with related decoration was sold Sotheby’s, Chatsworth: The Attic Sale, 5th-7th October 2010, lot 370, (£127,250) and another, also with tole panels, sold with Sotheby’s New York, October 2014, lot 123, ($53,125)