Cabinet
ca. 1910 (designed)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Frank Brangwyn is best remembered today as a painter but he was also a prolific designer of rugs, textiles, stained glass and furniture. This print cabinet, made for his own use, is fitted inside with seven sliding trays and six pigeon holes. The plainness of the shape and the dominance of its two-dimensional decoration, make it easy to see that the cabinet was designed with a painter's sensibility for framed compositions on flat surfaces.
Its simplicity also recalls furniture design from east Asia, and perhaps Brangwyn intended to suggest the picture was made from incised Chinese lacquer (laquer exported from China to Europe, where it is known as Coromandel lacquer). However, the draped figures in the picture look more Caucasian than Asian and the landscape features Italianate temples rather than pagodas. Moreover, the inclusion of flamingos and parrots, and the outlandish clothes, place the scene in the realms of myth rather than history or geography.
Its simplicity also recalls furniture design from east Asia, and perhaps Brangwyn intended to suggest the picture was made from incised Chinese lacquer (laquer exported from China to Europe, where it is known as Coromandel lacquer). However, the draped figures in the picture look more Caucasian than Asian and the landscape features Italianate temples rather than pagodas. Moreover, the inclusion of flamingos and parrots, and the outlandish clothes, place the scene in the realms of myth rather than history or geography.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 10 parts.
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Materials and techniques | Cherry wood, coloured composition |
Brief description | Cherry wood cabinet on stand with coloured composition decoration on the doors depicting figures in a landscape |
Physical description | Cabinet on stand. The cherry wood stand has a shelf at the bottom and four short straight legs at the corners. Above the stand is a single full-width drawer with two metal ring handles on circular pierced metal plates. The rectangular cabinet has smooth cherry wood sides inlaid with linear patterns in a darker wood, while the front is divided into two doors entirely covered with a design made of coloured composition in imitation of incised lacquer. The decoration shows a design of figures in procession bearing baskets of fruit to present to a seated figure. Behind them is a hilly landscape with temples and trees.The interior of the cabinet is fitted with seven sliding trays below six pigeon holes. |
Dimensions |
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Production type | Unique |
Credit line | Given by Frank Brangwyn RA |
Object history | The charcoal and water colour design for the decoration of the cabinet doors was presented to Wolverhampton Art Gallery by Frank Brangwyn in 1950/1 Object sampling carried out by Jo Darrah, V&A Science; drawer/slide reference 6/60. |
Summary | Frank Brangwyn is best remembered today as a painter but he was also a prolific designer of rugs, textiles, stained glass and furniture. This print cabinet, made for his own use, is fitted inside with seven sliding trays and six pigeon holes. The plainness of the shape and the dominance of its two-dimensional decoration, make it easy to see that the cabinet was designed with a painter's sensibility for framed compositions on flat surfaces. Its simplicity also recalls furniture design from east Asia, and perhaps Brangwyn intended to suggest the picture was made from incised Chinese lacquer (laquer exported from China to Europe, where it is known as Coromandel lacquer). However, the draped figures in the picture look more Caucasian than Asian and the landscape features Italianate temples rather than pagodas. Moreover, the inclusion of flamingos and parrots, and the outlandish clothes, place the scene in the realms of myth rather than history or geography. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | W.40:1 to 10-1932 |
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Record created | December 16, 2005 |
Record URL |
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