A CHINESE EXPORT BLACK & GILT LACQUER & MOTHER-OF-PEARL BUREAU
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A CHINESE EXPORT BLACK & GILT LACQUER & MOTHER-OF-PEARL BUREAU
About the Item
CIRCA 1740
The hinged slant-front enclosing drawers and pigeonholes, over two short and two long drawers with nashiji lacquer to interior, decorated overall with mountainous landscapes, the sides with carrying handles, with Chinese characters to the reverse of the small drawers and lopers, reverse stamped twice with double 'F' cipher beneath a crown and with white-painted inventory number 'C.887'
40¾ in. (103.5 cm.) high, 39¾ in. (101 cm.) wide, 24¼ in. (61.5 cm.) deep
Provenance:
Almost certainly supplied to King Frederik V of Denmark (reigned 1746-1766) when Crown Prince.
Thence by descent within the Danish Royal family until recorded at Charlottenlund Castle during the reign of King Frederik Vlll of Denmark (1843-1912).
This splendid Chinese export lacquer bureau is branded to the back with the letter "F" beneath a closed crown. The brand is almost certainly that of Frederik V of Denmark (1723-1766, reigned 1746-1766) when Crown Prince, as his brand after he became king would have included the number "V" as well. The same brand appears on a psalter, which remains in the Danish Royal Library, used by Frederik when Crown Prince. It is possible that it formed part of the exotic furnishings of the Chinese apartment at Christiansborg Palace, which was rebuilt by Frederik's father King Christian VI to designs of the German baroque architect Elias David Häusser from 1733-1745.
Frederik V was himself an important patron of the arts, founding in 1754 the Royal Danish Academy of Art, and initiating a series of important building projects, often with the support of the influential taste-maker J.H.E Bernstorff, Danish Ambassador to Paris who commissioned the architect Contant D'Ivry to creat a celebrated series of interiors for his residence in Copenhagen.
The inventory number "C 887" refers to the Royal residence Charlottenlund Castle, and probably relates to the period of King Frederik VIII (1843-1912), who used it as his primary residence.
An important trade existed between Denmark and the Far East, beginning with the establishment of the Danish East India Company in 1616 by King Christian IV. King Christian VI subsequently revived this lucrative trade, establishing in 1732 the Royal Danish Asiatic Company. A number of pieces of Chinese lacquer furniture were brought back by the captains of the Asiatic Company in the 1730's and sold to King Christian VI, including a pair of lacquer bureau cabinets, originally supplied to the Royal Palace in Copenhagen in 1738 and now in Fredensborg Castle (see T. Clemmenson, 'Some Furniture Made in China in the English Style, Exported from Canton to Denmark 1735, 1737 and 1738', Furniture History, 1985, pp. 174-177).
- Dimensions:Height: 40.75 in (103.51 cm)Width: 39.75 in (100.97 cm)Depth: 24.25 in (61.6 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:C. 1740
- Condition:The bureau is in good restored antique condition and sturdy, with the usual scattered nicks and chips to surface and lacquer creating a patina, some loss to the metal escutcheon plate around the slant-front keyhole, areas of refreshing and skilled restora.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: 100525888931
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