Leather Panel thumbnail 1
Leather Panel thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Leather Panel

1760-80 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Leather panels were used to cover walls as an alternative to wooden panelling or textile hangings. Luxurious effects could be achieved with rich colours and highly patterned surfaces. Often the decoration of these hangings echoed the design of other furnishings in a room, and tied together an interior decorative scheme. The delicate scrolling stems and naturalistic flowers of this panel are similar to early 18th century textile designs, while the basketweave texture of the background resembles carved decoration found on gilded French furniture of the same period.

It is uncertain exactly how this panel was made. Traditionally, wet leather was pressed onto a raised wooden mould to create an embossed surface. In 1628, however, a similar process using a heated metal plate was patented in the Netherlands. This technique, which was widely copied, made it possible to produce large numbers of identical, finely detailed panels. Even sharper detail could be achieved on a thin leather, such as calf skin, which was probably used for this panel. Its crisp embossed surface suggests that a metal plate was used in this panel's manufacture.

Although areas of the panel appear to be gilded, the precious metal used to create this effect is actually silver. A thin silver foil was applied to the panel and then coated with a layer of yellow varnish to look like gold leaf.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Embossed and gilded leather
Brief description
Gilt leather panel, with a painted pattern, which shows a gilt basketwork group with blue and red flowers shaded with lighter blues, and green foliage, Flanders or Spain, ca. 1760-80.
Physical description
Embossed and painted leather panel, with trailing stems of blue cornflowers and unidentified blue and red flowers on a diaper patterned gold ground.
Dimensions
  • Height: 55cm
  • Width: 76cm
Dimensions taken by Eloy Koldeweij, 1995-6 Original measurements: H. 2 ft. x 2 ft. 7 in. (60.9 x 79 cm)
Credit line
Gift of Murray Marks
Object history
Given by Murray Marks 'Panel for furniture. Leather, stamped with gilt basket work ground, and painted with flowers in green and other colours. Spanish 17th century'

On the inside of the wooden back panel of the 19th c. frame (removed) was the stamp in ink 'Holland & Sons, 23 Mount Street, London'. Holland and Sons, cabinet makers & etc.' founded in 1815 as 'Tapwell & Holland', based on 23, Mount Street in the years 1852-between 1886/1902). For this firm see the Furniture History Society Journal, vol. VI (1970) p. 54.

Wall hangings in the house 3, Spiegelrei, Bruges (Belg.); Castle Grimbergen, Humbeek (Belg.); the 'Pietershof', Hoorn (Neth.), 1768; townhall, 's-Hertogenbosch (Neth., 1764. Panels in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (Neth.), inventory number RBK 18275; Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York, inventory number 1908-12-25; Gruuthuze Museum, Bruges, inventory number 136097B; Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis, Brussels, inventory number 5345/9.

A similar, but not identical panel (the flowers are different, although the leaf-shaped panels are very close) is published in Jean-Pierre Fournet, Cuirs Dorées, "Cuirs de Courdoue", un art Européen (Château de Saint-Remy-en-l'Eau: 2019), p. 163, fig. 229. That panel, from the Deutsches Tapetenmuseum, Kassel, Germany, is attributed to the Low Countries (current Belgium), third quarter of the eighteenth century.
Summary
Leather panels were used to cover walls as an alternative to wooden panelling or textile hangings. Luxurious effects could be achieved with rich colours and highly patterned surfaces. Often the decoration of these hangings echoed the design of other furnishings in a room, and tied together an interior decorative scheme. The delicate scrolling stems and naturalistic flowers of this panel are similar to early 18th century textile designs, while the basketweave texture of the background resembles carved decoration found on gilded French furniture of the same period.

It is uncertain exactly how this panel was made. Traditionally, wet leather was pressed onto a raised wooden mould to create an embossed surface. In 1628, however, a similar process using a heated metal plate was patented in the Netherlands. This technique, which was widely copied, made it possible to produce large numbers of identical, finely detailed panels. Even sharper detail could be achieved on a thin leather, such as calf skin, which was probably used for this panel. Its crisp embossed surface suggests that a metal plate was used in this panel's manufacture.

Although areas of the panel appear to be gilded, the precious metal used to create this effect is actually silver. A thin silver foil was applied to the panel and then coated with a layer of yellow varnish to look like gold leaf.
Bibliographic references
  • J.F. Riano, Catalogue of the art and objects of Spanish production in the South Kensington Museum, London 1872, page 62
  • John W. Waterer, Leather Craftmanship, London 1967, plate 77
  • South Kensington Museum, John Charles Robinson, J. C Robinson, and R. Clay, Sons and Taylor. 1881. Catalogue of the Special Loan Exhibition of Spanish and Portuguese Ornamental Art: South Kensington Museum, 1881. London: Chapman & Hall, p.186
Collection
Accession number
485-1869

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 6, 2007
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest