Cabinet
1876 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This cabinet was made at about the time of the Philadelphia Centennial exhibition of 1876 in which Kimbel and Cabus exhibited an entire drawing room, complete with fittings and furniture of ebonised cherry. The cabinet is architecturally inspired and is typical of Kimbel & Cabus's 'modern Gothic' style of furniture, also known in America as 'Eastlake' after the English design pundit Charles Eastlake (1836-1906).
The incised linear decoration and geometric patterns can be found on almost every one of their cabinets, and the incised and coppered brass hinges are also very typical of their work. This cabinet features an inset painted and gilded panel of two cupids, but set-in tiles made by the Minton-Hollins company of England and marquetry panels were often used on such cabinets instead. Embellishments, such as tiles or painted panels, were frequently added to British furniture of the time but were rarely used on American pieces.
The incised linear decoration and geometric patterns can be found on almost every one of their cabinets, and the incised and coppered brass hinges are also very typical of their work. This cabinet features an inset painted and gilded panel of two cupids, but set-in tiles made by the Minton-Hollins company of England and marquetry panels were often used on such cabinets instead. Embellishments, such as tiles or painted panels, were frequently added to British furniture of the time but were rarely used on American pieces.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Ebonised cherrywood, with gilt and painted decoration, coppered metal fittings, mirrors and red plush lining |
| Brief description | Cabinet, 1876, New York City, Kimbel and Cabus, ebonised wood with painted panels depicting scenes of night and day |
| Physical description | Ebonised wood cabinet with various compartments and two painted cupboard doors. One painted panel depicts 'Night' and shows an owl in an oak tree, a bat in the sky, and a backdrop of a crescent moon and stars. The other panel depicts 'Day' and shows two birds nesting in a tree with the sun's rays in the background. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | In the late 1980s the cabinet was displayed in the gallery of Art and Design in Europe and America 1800-1900, where it supported a bust of Mephistopheles by the Russian sculptor Mark Antokolski (A.9-1982). |
| Summary | This cabinet was made at about the time of the Philadelphia Centennial exhibition of 1876 in which Kimbel and Cabus exhibited an entire drawing room, complete with fittings and furniture of ebonised cherry. The cabinet is architecturally inspired and is typical of Kimbel & Cabus's 'modern Gothic' style of furniture, also known in America as 'Eastlake' after the English design pundit Charles Eastlake (1836-1906). The incised linear decoration and geometric patterns can be found on almost every one of their cabinets, and the incised and coppered brass hinges are also very typical of their work. This cabinet features an inset painted and gilded panel of two cupids, but set-in tiles made by the Minton-Hollins company of England and marquetry panels were often used on such cabinets instead. Embellishments, such as tiles or painted panels, were frequently added to British furniture of the time but were rarely used on American pieces. |
| Bibliographic reference | Art & Design in Europe and America 1800-1900. Introduction by Simon Jervis (London: The Herbert Press, 1987), pp. 116, 120 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.50-1984 |
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| Record created | June 1, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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