This colourful cabinet was painted in 1865 by Henry Stacy Marks (1829-1898), an artist who specialised in birds. He also worked as a decorative painter, with commissions for the interiors of churches, theatres and private houses. Marks was a friend of William Burges (1827-1881), the Gothic Revival architect and designer, and painted furniture for Burges's own home, Tower House, Kensington, London. The design and decoration of this cabinet suggest the influence of Burges. It is Gothic Revival in style with chamfered edges to the door panels and stencilled decoration on the legs and back. The birds on the doors and the fish, frogs and butterfly on the side panels were all painted on paper which was then stuck on the cabinet. The interior is undecorated apart from the doors which have storks painted in red on a green background.
Physical description
The cabinet is formed of a cupboard on a stand. The cupboard has a moulded cornice and two doors and sits on another moulding on the stand which has two frieze drawers, two front legs, a solid back and a shelf at the base. The sunk panels on the doors and on the sides of the cupboard are chamfered as are the front legs. The doors are attached with long iron hinges and there are iron drop handles on the drawers.
Under the moulded cornice there is a painted inscription 'I WAS PAINTED BY H S MARKS IN THE YEAR OF GRACE 1865 [the 18 is above the 65]. The frame of the cabinet is painted in red and black with mouldings in gold and stencil decoration in gold and red. There are inset paintings on paper stuck onto the doors and on the side panels. The left hand door has a hornbill and the right hand door a flamingo while there are fish on the left hand side and frogs and a butterfly on the righthand side. The drawer fronts are painted with birds and the sides below the sunk panels with lizards on the left and a leopard chasing a deer on the right. The interior surface of the doors is painted green with a stork on each door in red. There is a piece of paper with an ink inscription stuck on the upper right side of the interior.
Place of Origin
Great Britain, UK (made)
Date
1865 (painted)
ca. 1864 (made)
Artist/maker
Marks, Henry Stacy, born 1829 - died 1898 (painter)
Materials and Techniques
Birch, painted, stencilled and gilded, with oil paintings on paper
Marks and inscriptions
'I WAS PAINTED BY H.S. MARKS IN THE YEAR OF GRACE 1865'
Dimensions
Height: 1.26 m, Width: 81 cm, Depth: 48 cm
Object history note
Recommending the cabinet for acquisition on 16th June 1933, Ralph Edwards, Assistant Keeper, wrote to Oliver Brackett, Keeper of the Department of Woodwork, "Harry Armstrong the dealer in the Kings Road, Chelsea (No 322) has lately put on view in his shop a small painted cabinet by Stacy Marks, which he purchased somewhere in the North of England. It is painted throughout has two doors, drawers with loop metal handles and is mounted on a stand with the legs painted & chamfered in the Gothic style. Along the cornice runs the inscription "I was painted by H.S. Marks in the Year of Grace 1865"; on the doors below are a Flamingo and a Toucan, very decently drawn, and the insde of the doors are painted attractive pale green shade with floral or bird decoration. The predominant tone is red and green. The cabinet is certainly a good specimen of its kind and shows strong Pre-Raphaelite influence. Mr Armstrong gave £7 for it, and would be prepared to let the Museum, in which he is much interested, have it for £4. If we propose to form a bay of Morris School furniture in the North Court, I think there can be no doubt that this would be an interesting addition. Though one may hold that Marks was a very bad artist, he certainly enjoyed a great reputation in his day. Technically the decoration of this cabinet has a considerable degree of merit."
Brackett to Eric Maclagen, Director, 19th June 1933,"Director I saw this cabinet this morning. It undoubtedly has a certain amount of sentimental and documentary interest as being a signed and dated example of the work of Stacy Marks, who is not generally associated with furniture design, but it seemed to me to be not un-naturally amateurish and rather poor in execution. But if you think it might be worth considering in reference to the work of this school, we could have it brought here on approval. The owner will take £4 for it."
The cabinet was received in on approval and Eric Maclagen, the Director, wrote to Brackett on 1st July 1933, "I have had a look at this cabinet and though it does not greatly attract me I think we ought to buy it as an early & dated example of its school. Mr Sabin tells me he could easily find room for it at Bethnal Green."
Stuck inside the cabinet, on the right hand side, is a sheet of paper with a sketch of the cabinet and the following inscription " 20. CABINET. Of simple design but interesting on account of its decorations, being painted with birds by the late H. STACY MARKS RA and having on the upper rail the inscription: I WAS PAINTED BY H.S. MARKS IN THE YEAR OF GRACE 1865 [written with the 18 above the 65]. The upper doors have portraits of a toucan and a flamingo, side panels hare fish & frogs all in colours on gilt ground. Fronts of drawers below have quaint little designs of penguins and partridges, characteristic of the artist's well known style the framework of the cabinet is coloured, in vry dark blue & red. Wrought iron hinges & handles. Height 4ft 1 in. Width 2ft8 in. Price £15. Two or three other pieces of furniture of similar kind, but in S.R's opinion less desirable made at Mr Marks' sale nearly double above price." The style of the handwiting, and of the sketches of the cabinet and of a chair, on this sheet of paper suggests that it may refer to lots in a sale, so far unidentified, of the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.
Descriptive line
Birch cabinet, painted by Henry Stacy Marks, made Great Britain, ca. 1864.
Labels and date
CABINET
ENGLISH; 1865
Painted wood
Designed and painted by Henry Stacy Marks.
Maker unknown
Bears the inscription, 'I was painted by H.S. Marks In the year of Grace 1865.' Marks was an artist who frequently painted pictures of birds. [pre October 2000]
Production Note
The maker is unknown.
Subjects depicted
Birds; Fish; Butterfly; Stork (bird); Frogs
Categories
Furniture; Woodwork
Collection code
FWK
