![]() ![]() For these highly customizable furnishings, designers of the day delivered an alternative to big, heavy bookcases by considering the use of space - and, in particular, walls - in new and innovative ways. ![]() Mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts will cite the tall modular wall units crafted in teak and other sought-after woods of the era by the likes of George Nelson and Finn Juhl. In the mid-19th century, cabinetmakers would mimic styles originating in the Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI eras for their dressers, bookshelves and other structures, and, later, simpler, streamlined wood designs allowed these “case pieces” or “case goods” - any furnishing that is unupholstered and has some semblance of a storage component - to blend into the background of any interior. The Safra sale Sothebys’s New York 19 thOctober 2011 Lot 715, Mallett Millenium, Lacquer An International History and Collectors Guide.Of all the antique and vintage case pieces and storage cabinets that have become popular in modern interiors over the years, dressers, credenzas and cabinets have long been home staples, perfect for routine storage or protection of personal items. Symonds, Old English Walnut and Lacquer Furniture 1923 pp 166-167 Collection of Lord Plender, The Victoria and Albert Museum in the Asian Department item 019112. In 1744 one was described in an inventory as a black lacquered Chinese chest of drawers with a secretary desk and above a cupboard with three small gilded figures on the top. Captain Brouwer obviously purchased the pair of cabinets sold to Christian VI in this way on his voyage of 1736-37, as he personally sold them to the king, the bill of sale describing them as “Scrip Contours” or writing cabinets. Besides the main cargo of tea, porcelain and silk, each seaman, according to rank, was allowed to return to Denmark with decorative goods, which he was able to sell by private treaty. This ship had first visited Canton in 1734 under the auspices of the Royal Danish Asiatic Company. A formalised commercial system developed there, and Chinese merchants and artisans became increasingly familiar with western tastes and demands. A pair of cabinets now in the Royal Castle of Fredensborg in Denmark were acquired by Christian IV for the Royal Collection in 1738 from Captain Guillame de Brouwer of the ship Sleswig. This bureau cabinet was made in Canton (Guangzhou) in southern China, which in the 18th century became the principal – and later the only – trading port at which Europeans were permitted to buy Chinese goods. ![]() The palette of black and gold is not typically Chinese but imitates Japanese lacquer, which was expensive and difficult to procure in the 18th century. The elaborate design of this cabinet shows how Chinese craftsmen were able to master the complex forms of European furniture, with its arrangement of compartments and drawers which had an exotic appeal in the West. With three sets of carrying handles on the sides and original brass hardware throughout. The exterior decorated with Chinese landscape scenes and the interior with landscape scenes on the doors and drawers and flowers and birds on the flat surfaces. The base with a fall front opening to reveal more drawers with two internal doors with additional drawers inside. The upper section with a curved swan neck pediment decorated with floral decoration above a pair of doors opening to reveal an elaborate fitted interior. ![]()
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