This cabinet and stand were designed by the architect and designer Ernest Gimson (1864-1919). They were made in about 1902 at the Daneway House workshops at Sapperton, Gloucestershire and were probably amongst the first pieces of furniture produced there. The use of a sturdy, detachable stand was a feature of a number of Gimson’s designs from this period, including another cabinet exhibited at the 1903 Arts and Crafts Exhibition.

The stand is veneered in ebony and the cabinet is veneered in walnut. The cut of wood for the walnut veneer is carefully selected and arranged so as to create subtle geometric patterns on the front of each of the cabinet doors. This interest in the decorative potential of veneer extends from the time when Gimson was part of a small group of furniture makers who briefly went by the name of Kenton and Company (1890-92). The four decorative plaques applied over the veneer on the cabinet doors were sculpted in gesso, a sort of plaster, and then gilded to give them their metallic appearance. They were made by Gimson himself, who was particularly skilled at working with plaster.