Pedestal Cupboard
1770-1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In the second half of the eighteenth century, the new popularity of rooms specifically designed for dining led to the development of new forms of furniture. It was at this time that long dining tables came into fashion. As a predecessor to the modern sideboard, serving tables at one end of the room began to be matched with flanking pedestal cupboards of this form. The cupboards might be fitted for wine bottles, or be lined with metal and fitted with plate warmers. This pedestal shows only a shelf within the cupboard but is fitted with an ingenious folding top that can be opened to provide more space for serving.
The pedestal is currently on long-term loan to Mompesson House, Salisbury, a property of the National Trust.
The pedestal is currently on long-term loan to Mompesson House, Salisbury, a property of the National Trust.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Mahogany, with carved decoration |
| Brief description | Pedestal cupboard, probably originally one of a pair, designed to accompany a sideboard table, of mahogany, with brass handles, the top hinged to either side to provide a larger surface for serving. |
| Physical description | Pedestal cupboard, probably originally one of a pair, designed to accompany a sideboard table, of mahogany, with brass handles, the top hinged to either side to provide a larger surface for serving. The pedestal consists of a cupboard with two shelves and a lower drawer beneath it. The front is decorated with a panel with rosettes at the corners and brass ring handles. The sides are similarly decorated with loop handles for lifting. The top opens into two flaps supported by a slide with a brass knob at each side. The back is pierced with circular air holes. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by C. D. Rotch |
| Object history | From the paper catalogue: Inspected at Mompesson House 26/02/1998 One brass knob on the proper left side was loose and needs fixing. We agreed that this piece was of late 19th or early 20th century date, and adapted for use as a trolley. It is certainly not 'about 1760' as noted in our records. See Registered File 76/504 A similar cupboard is displayed in the Sotheby's New York catalogue 12/12/1996: Lot 155 'A rare George II mahogany cabinet with a matching one of a later date, circa 1730' |
| Historical context | It was not until the very end of the eighteenth century that sideboards as we know them today were invented. An earlier form of furnishing for a dining-room, invented in the middle of the eighteenth century, was to place a pair of cupboards such as this on either side of a serving table. The pedestal cupboards might be fitted with plate warmers or wine racks. |
| Summary | In the second half of the eighteenth century, the new popularity of rooms specifically designed for dining led to the development of new forms of furniture. It was at this time that long dining tables came into fashion. As a predecessor to the modern sideboard, serving tables at one end of the room began to be matched with flanking pedestal cupboards of this form. The cupboards might be fitted for wine bottles, or be lined with metal and fitted with plate warmers. This pedestal shows only a shelf within the cupboard but is fitted with an ingenious folding top that can be opened to provide more space for serving. The pedestal is currently on long-term loan to Mompesson House, Salisbury, a property of the National Trust. |
| Bibliographic reference | Tomlin, Maurice, Catalogue of Adam Period Furniture (London: HMSO for the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1972), cat. no. W/5, p. 192 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.39-1962 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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