Early 18th Century Coromandel Lacquer Corner Cabinet

An outstanding and rare, 17th-century Japanese mulberrywood gilt-lacquer cabinet raised on a later stand. This fine and exceptional two-door, gilt-heightened cabinet - reputedly in mountain mulberry wood...

An antique Venetian rococo japanned (or 'lacquer') cabinet. This rare and sophisticated antique cabinet separates in two, with bombé and serpentine profiles. The particularly fine ...

A rare Chinese polychrome Coromandel or ‘Bantam Ware’ lacquer casket or table cabinet, Kangxi period (1661-1722). Circa 1700. This fine small Chinese-export lacquer fitted casket is decorated overall with polychrome incised decoration. Opening with two doors revealing a red interior with fitted drawers and a hinged rising top. In superb, almost entirely original condition, retaining its vivid colours and fine details with courtiers in a pavilion and on horseback amidst foliage and formal palace gardens. The small bun-type feet are historical replacements. Interestingly bearing an antique-script inventory #25 and A I on the base. Nb. Bantamwork or Coromandel lacquer, not to be confused with ‘japanning’, is the term applied to decoration that is cut into a layer of gesso and then lacquered in colours. Much of the lacquer was transhipped from China through Coromandel in India, or the Dutch colony Batavia, Java. References: Coromandel lacquer or 'Bantamwork', with its characteristic incised decoration, was made in Henan province in Northern China from the latter-part of the Ming dynasty and exported to Europe from the end of the 17th Century through the East India Company's and VOC trading posts on the Coromandel Coast of India. The technique consisted in overlaying a base of wood with a series of increasingly fine white clays and fibrous grasses. Over this surface, lacquer was applied and polished before the design was incised and the hollowed out portions filled with colour and gilt and finished with a clear lacquer to protect it. Although John Stalker and George Parker used the term 'Bantamwork', the contemporary layman usually called it 'cutt-work', 'cutt Japan' or 'hollow burnt Japan'. Stalker and Parker discuss two types of 'Bantam-work' - flat and incised - in their 'Treatise on Japanning and Varnishing' (1688), noting that it 'was done in colors mix't with a gum water'. They also considered that it was 'almost obsolete, and out of fashion, out of use and neglected....' although admitted that 'it was very pretty, and some are more fond of it, and prefer it to the other...'. This casket/ table cabinet now on offer is related to one formerly with Malletts and illustrated in A. Bowett, 'English Furniture 1660-1714: From Charles II to Queen Anne' (2002) p. 150, plates 5:9. A much larger yet closely-related Bantam work coffer with rising lid was offered in the 'Asian Art in Cologne' sale lot 114 on 11th December 2021. Estimated @ £ 60,000 - £79,000. Mme de Pompadour, mistress to King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, was an avid collector and admirer of Chinese Coromandel or Bantam Work, and was probably largely responsible for the very high prices recorded for such pieces, sometimes 10 times or more the price of ordinary furniture of equivalent quality. A Coromandel cabinet...

An English early-eighteenth century red japanned bow-front corner cupboard, or cabinet, George II-period, circa 1730. In superb condition throughout. Retaining its original butterfly hinges, with a period key and working lock. These are usually encountered with a black background, however when in red these examples of japanning are much sought after. Many were produced domestically, often by talented female members of the family. Note the charming English interpretations in the decorated surfaces. An unusual subject can be seen in the base, a hunter on horseback with sword drawn, confronting a mythological beast, probably representing a tiger with mandarins posing amongst stylised pagodas, rooftops and rockwork. Chinoiserie-decorated surfaces were extremely popular in the early part of the 18th century, almost reaching a craze among the upper classes wishing to demonstrate their fashionable status. There were several revivals of chinoiserie particularly in the first quarter of the 20th century, so caution is advised in one’s collecting. This type of decoration is also sometimes erroneously referred to as ''lacquer’'. The fashion icon Coco Chanel furnished her exquisite Paris apartments largely in the European chinoiserie taste. References: V & A – The development of English black japanning 1620-1820, A History of Japanning in England: Technique & Decoration. John Stalker and George Parker...

This 19th-century Chinese Chinoiserie lacquer side cabinet is a splendid testament to the enduring allure of the Chinoiserie movement that swept through Europe in the 17th century. A...

This beautiful two doors cabinet is made of black and red lacquered wood presenting Chinese sceens and decorations in gold tones. This is a French work. Circa 1940

English Late 18th Century Ochre Hued Lacquered Chinoiserie Corner Cabinet

A stately late 19th-century Chinese compound cabinet, showcasing traditional craftsmanship and intricate decoration. This large two-section cabinet features finely carved and painted...