Dressing Table
1820-1835 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In Britain painted satinwood furniture based on styles of the 1780s and 1790s remained popular until at least the 1830s. Cabinet makers adapted and changed the designs slightly to satisfy the fashions of the time. This dressing-table was possibly adapted from a design published in 1788 for a combined writing- and dressing- table. It may have been made in the 1830s as there are hand made screws used in the construction and handles made of Sheffield plate, a technique which fell out of use in the mid-1830s.
The dressing-table belonged to James James (1819-1879), one of the earliest collectors of English painted satinwood furniture, who believed that it had been made in the 1780s or 1790s. He lent the table and a painted satinwood commode to the Museum from 1866 and in 1870 the Museum bought the table and the commode from him for £200 each. There are several Victorian versions of the dressing-table, made by firms such as Hindley & Wilkinson or Maples, showing that the design continued to be popular in the 1880s and 1890s.
The dressing-table belonged to James James (1819-1879), one of the earliest collectors of English painted satinwood furniture, who believed that it had been made in the 1780s or 1790s. He lent the table and a painted satinwood commode to the Museum from 1866 and in 1870 the Museum bought the table and the commode from him for £200 each. There are several Victorian versions of the dressing-table, made by firms such as Hindley & Wilkinson or Maples, showing that the design continued to be popular in the 1880s and 1890s.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 27 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Painted satinwood, with Sheffield plate handles |
| Brief description | Dressing table of painted satinwood, with Sheffield plate handles. The dressing table is raised on turned legs, joined by a shaped, rising X-stretcher with a small casket sitting at the intersection. The superstructure shows consists of a plinth of shallow drawers, supporting two cupboards painted with oval panels showing female figures in classical dress, between which hangs a shield-shaped mirror. The dressing table is fitted for writing and dressing. |
| Physical description | Dressing table of painted satinwood, with Sheffield plate handles. The dressing table is raised on turned legs, joined by a shaped, rising X-stretcher with a small casket sitting at the intersection. The superstructure shows consists of a plinth of shallow drawers, supporting two cupboards painted with oval panels showing female figures in classical dress, between which hangs a shield-shaped mirror. The dressing table is fitted for writing and dressing. |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Purchased from James James |
| Object history | This dressing table was acquired in 1870 as a fine specimen of painted satinwood furniture of the 1790s and was published as such in 1972 (see References). It is now, however, thought to date from the period 1820-1835, made as a close reproduction of a 1790s piece. Museum negative 74591 shows this on display in Gallery 40 in January1936 as part of a display of Georgian furniture. Also shown in neg. 74057, view 1c. |
| Production | Acquired in 1870 as late 18th-century, but no documented 18th-century piece of this form is known. Re-dated by Clive Wainwright to the 1860s (shortly before its arrival in the Museum on loan in 1866). But so late a date seems unlikely in view of the use of Sheffield Plate handles (Sheffield Plate was superseded by British plating in the mid-1830s and by electroplating after 1840), and of screws which are not wholly machine-made. Several late 19th-century versions of this design, by Hindley & Wilkinson, are known -- all of which were presumably inspired by this prime version, which became very well known after entering the V&A collection. The previous owner, James James (agent to the Rothschilds) was a serious early collector of English furniture, unlikely to have tried deliberately to deceive the Museum. |
| Summary | In Britain painted satinwood furniture based on styles of the 1780s and 1790s remained popular until at least the 1830s. Cabinet makers adapted and changed the designs slightly to satisfy the fashions of the time. This dressing-table was possibly adapted from a design published in 1788 for a combined writing- and dressing- table. It may have been made in the 1830s as there are hand made screws used in the construction and handles made of Sheffield plate, a technique which fell out of use in the mid-1830s. The dressing-table belonged to James James (1819-1879), one of the earliest collectors of English painted satinwood furniture, who believed that it had been made in the 1780s or 1790s. He lent the table and a painted satinwood commode to the Museum from 1866 and in 1870 the Museum bought the table and the commode from him for £200 each. There are several Victorian versions of the dressing-table, made by firms such as Hindley & Wilkinson or Maples, showing that the design continued to be popular in the 1880s and 1890s. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 635:1to:27-1870 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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