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Cabinet of Drawers thumbnail 2
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Cabinet of Drawers

1993 (made)
Artist/Maker
Wales and Wales (maker)
Wales, Rod (designer)
Wales, Alison (designer)
Place of origin
Lewes (made)
Great Britain (made)

Rectangular tall oak veneer chest of eleven drawers with a decorative curved ebonised front.

Object details

Category
Furniture
Object type
Cabinet of drawers
Parts
This object consists of 11 parts.

  • Chest of Drawers
  • Drawer
  • Drawer
  • Drawer
  • Drawer
  • Drawer
  • Drawer
  • Drawer
  • Drawer
  • Drawer
  • Drawer
Materials and techniques
MDF carcase with oak slats and veneer
MDF
Oak
Veneering
Ebonising
Brief description
Chest of drawers, Wales and Wales, British, 1993. MDF with oak veneer
Physical description
Rectangular tall oak veneer chest of eleven drawers with a decorative curved ebonised front.
Dimensions
  • Height: 161.5cm
  • Width: 41cm
  • Depth: 35cm
Gallery label
(1993)
CABINET
Designed by Alison Wales (British, born 1952) and Rod Wales (British, born 1950), 1993
Made by Wales & Wales, Lewes, Great Britain
MDF (medium density fibreboard) carcase with oak slats and veneer
W.8-1993

This cabinet is stained by means of a traditional method of ebonising wood using vinegar applied with a wire brush. The natural roughness and grain of oak are therefore emphasized rather than being smoothed, the most common practice today. Contrasted with this centuries-old staining method is the cabinet's distinctly modern and unconventional appearance and its contrast from a carcase of MDF.
Object history
The cabinet was made specifically to be shown at the Spectrum design show at the RCA in 1993. The design was influenced by long jade cylinders seen in Tsui Gallery at V&A (A.40-1936).

The quarter cut structural veneer is 1.55mm thick (as opposed to decorative veneer of 0.55mm) to allow for the surface to be finished with a machine-powered rotary brush. This has the effect of heightening the rays in the grain. The surface has been sealed with precatalysed melanine lacquer. The ebonised finish is achieved by rubbing vinegar into the wood with steel wool and a steel brush.
Associated object
A.40-1936 (Object)
Collection
Furniture and Woodwork Collection
Accession number
W.8:1 to 11-1993

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Record createdFebruary 13, 2008
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O145089/cabinet-of-drawers-wales-rod/
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