Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Not currently on display at the V&A
On display at National Trust, Knightshayes Court, Devon

Cabinet

1858 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This tall narrow cabinet is one of a pair (Circ.216:1, 2-1961) that the architect William Burges designed to fit into two alcoves in a house belonging to H. G. Yatman. These, together with a third, larger, cabinet also in the V&A collection (Museum no. Circ.217-1961), demonstrate the highly individual Gothic Revival style that Burges developed. He based his designs for the cabinets on the medieval cupboards – architectural in form – that he had seen in the cathedrals of northern France. The top of this cabinet suggests a sloping roof with battlements. The exterior is painted with stencilled decoration. The interior is also painted and gilded; the ceiling has stars against a blue background, above painted arcading.

Burges was one of the most distinguished British architects of the 19th century. He also designed furniture, metalwork and interior decoration, and drew inspiration from the construction and decoration of surviving medieval furniture. The Reverend John A. Yatman, H. G. Yatman’s brother, also had a taste for Gothic Revival furniture, and employed Burges to design his house at Winscombe Hill near Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

On loan to National Trust Knightshayes Court.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Wood, painted and gilded
Brief description
Cabinet, painted and gilded, one of a pair designed for H. G. Yatman, by William Burges, made by Harland and Fisher and painted by E.J. Poynter, England, 1858.
Physical description
Tall, narrow cabinet on a open four-legged stand supported on a plinth. The front only is decorated; the side and back are plain painted wood. The single glazed door with patterned leading is surmounted by a cresting in the form of a pitched roof with battlements. The front of the cabinet is painted and gilded, with gothic ornament and lettering. The interior has two shelves and is painted and gilded, the inner ceiling with stars on a blue ground above a painted arcade.
Dimensions
  • Height: 224cm
  • Width: 56cm
  • Depth: 35cm
Style
Production typeUnique
Credit line
Given by Lt. Col. P. H. W. Russell
Object history
This cabinet, one of a pair, was commissioned together with a third, larger, cabinet, by H.G. Yatman, an early patron of Burges. The pair of cabinets were designed to fit into alcoves in Yatman's home. The cabinets were fiven to the V&A by Yatman's grandson, Lt Col P.H.W. Russell.
Production
Reason For Production: Commission
Summary
This tall narrow cabinet is one of a pair (Circ.216:1, 2-1961) that the architect William Burges designed to fit into two alcoves in a house belonging to H. G. Yatman. These, together with a third, larger, cabinet also in the V&A collection (Museum no. Circ.217-1961), demonstrate the highly individual Gothic Revival style that Burges developed. He based his designs for the cabinets on the medieval cupboards – architectural in form – that he had seen in the cathedrals of northern France. The top of this cabinet suggests a sloping roof with battlements. The exterior is painted with stencilled decoration. The interior is also painted and gilded; the ceiling has stars against a blue background, above painted arcading.

Burges was one of the most distinguished British architects of the 19th century. He also designed furniture, metalwork and interior decoration, and drew inspiration from the construction and decoration of surviving medieval furniture. The Reverend John A. Yatman, H. G. Yatman’s brother, also had a taste for Gothic Revival furniture, and employed Burges to design his house at Winscombe Hill near Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

On loan to National Trust Knightshayes Court.
Associated objects
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.218:1-1961

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Record createdJanuary 7, 2004
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