Cabinet
1867 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This cabinet was designed by a Mr Crosse, about whom nothing further is known, and made by the firm Wright and Mansfield. Wright and Mansfield specialised in the production of furniture based on English eighteenth-century designs. This cabinet is typical of the fashionable furniture revival in the 1870s and 1880s known as the ‘Adams’ style.
Influenced by the work of the eighteenth-century architect and designer Robert Adam, the ‘Adams’ style’ was characterised by the use of a combination of classical motifs, such as ram’s heads, urns and swags, and eighteenth-century techniques such as marquetry and occasionally the incorporation of decorative Wedgwood plaques. All these features can be seen on the Wright and Mansfield cabinet.
The cabinet was exhibited at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris where it was the only piece of British furniture to be awarded a gold medal. It was praised for the high quality of its materials and workmanship and seen as very ‘English’ owing to the use of satinwood and Neo-classical decoration. Originally valued at £1,400, it was bought by the Museum in 1868 at a reduced price of £800.
Influenced by the work of the eighteenth-century architect and designer Robert Adam, the ‘Adams’ style’ was characterised by the use of a combination of classical motifs, such as ram’s heads, urns and swags, and eighteenth-century techniques such as marquetry and occasionally the incorporation of decorative Wedgwood plaques. All these features can be seen on the Wright and Mansfield cabinet.
The cabinet was exhibited at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris where it was the only piece of British furniture to be awarded a gold medal. It was praised for the high quality of its materials and workmanship and seen as very ‘English’ owing to the use of satinwood and Neo-classical decoration. Originally valued at £1,400, it was bought by the Museum in 1868 at a reduced price of £800.
Object details
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| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 9 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Satinwood, with marquetry in various woods, giltwood mounts and Wedgwood plaques, on satinwood carcase |
| Brief description | Cabinet, satinwood, with marquetry in various woods, giltwood mounts and Wedgwood plaques; designed by Mr Crosse and made by Wright and Mansfield for the Paris Exhibition of 1867, British 1867 |
| Physical description | Cabinet with central broken pediment surmounted with Wedgwood urn, and gilded urns at top left and right. Front has four gilded reeded pilasters augmented with sphinxes, ram's heads and feet, swags and acanthus leaves. Front also has nine Wedgwood plaques. |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Unique |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | This cabinet was designed and made by Wright and Mansfield for display at the Exposition Universelle, held in Paris in 1867. At this exhibition, where ebony and other dark timbers or finishes dominated the furniture displays, this light satinwood cabinet caused a sensation with British and foreign critics and visitors. Wright and Mansfield won the only gold medal awarded for British furniture at the exhibition and the cabinet, originally valued at £1,400, was bought by the Museum at a reduced price of £800. A cabinet with very similar decoration, attributed to Wright and Mansfield by analogy with the decoration on the V&A cabinet, was with the dealer Butchoffs of Kensington Church Street in 2019, and was published in their catalogue. In 1968 this cabinet was exhibited in Gallery 120. |
| Historical context | The Museum acquired several decorative panels and pieces of furniture at Wright and Mansfield's sale of stock in 1886 so that it could show its visitors the difference between eighteenth century furniture and nineteenth century reproduction pieces of the highest quality. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This cabinet was designed by a Mr Crosse, about whom nothing further is known, and made by the firm Wright and Mansfield. Wright and Mansfield specialised in the production of furniture based on English eighteenth-century designs. This cabinet is typical of the fashionable furniture revival in the 1870s and 1880s known as the ‘Adams’ style. Influenced by the work of the eighteenth-century architect and designer Robert Adam, the ‘Adams’ style’ was characterised by the use of a combination of classical motifs, such as ram’s heads, urns and swags, and eighteenth-century techniques such as marquetry and occasionally the incorporation of decorative Wedgwood plaques. All these features can be seen on the Wright and Mansfield cabinet. The cabinet was exhibited at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris where it was the only piece of British furniture to be awarded a gold medal. It was praised for the high quality of its materials and workmanship and seen as very ‘English’ owing to the use of satinwood and Neo-classical decoration. Originally valued at £1,400, it was bought by the Museum in 1868 at a reduced price of £800. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 548-1868 |
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| Record created | January 31, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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