Design for a Chinese-style Lacquer Cabinet

This design for a lacquer cabinet reflects the European interest in the Orient, which emerged in the 17th-century when trade routes to the East were more and more frequented. Especially during the late Baroque and Rococo periods, designs inspired by Asian art were incorporated in the interior and lacquer work furniture, or imitations thereof, were in high demand. In the German speaking regions, where this design was made, there were two main centers of lacquer work production in the early 18th century: one in Berlin led by the Flemish artist Gerard Dagly (Flemish, Spa 1660-1715 Berlin), and one in Dresden run by Dagly’s pupil, Martin Schnell (Bremen, ca. 1675 – 1740 Dresden (?)). The design of this cabinet is so close to certain pieces produced by the latter, that it seems likely to have been made in Dresden, possibly even in the workshop of Schnell himself. The drawing, which seems to have been made to enthuse a client, is particularly interesting because it contains contemporary inscriptions which describe the execution of the piece in great detail. The cabinet was to be executed in lacquer work and was painted on all four sides. The interior of the cabinet counted 15 drawers, all of which were painted as finely as the exterior of the cabinet. The base color was black, while the landscapes were executed in various colors and finished with gold paint. The metal mounts were all fire-gilded and decorated with enamel. In most cases, a customer would buy not one, but two identical or very similar cabinets, which would be placed in a symmetrical arrangement against the wall.

Credit: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960