Cabinet
ca. 1905 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The inspiration for this cabinet was the Spanish vargueño, a writing cabinet on a stand. A typical vargueño had a plain exterior that opened up to reveal a rich interior fitted with leather tooled with gold foil. The English designer C. R. Ashbee particularly admired this contrast and used it to great effect in designs for a number of fall-front writing cabinets. In this type of cabinet, the hinged front flap opens or 'falls' to form a horizontal writing surface.
This cabinet appeared in an exhibition of 1906 organised by the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, to which Ashbee belonged. It was available for sale at £65. Unsold, it then became part of the furnishings at 37 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London. This house, known as the 'Magpie and Stump', belonged to Mrs H. S. Ashbee, the designer's mother.
This cabinet appeared in an exhibition of 1906 organised by the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, to which Ashbee belonged. It was available for sale at £65. Unsold, it then became part of the furnishings at 37 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London. This house, known as the 'Magpie and Stump', belonged to Mrs H. S. Ashbee, the designer's mother.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 3 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Walnut stand, sycamore carcase and cedar drawers, with gold tooled morocco leather; wrought iron fittings probably added after 1906 |
| Brief description | Cabinet, British 1904-5, designed by C.R. Ashbee |
| Physical description | Cabinet made of a sycamore carcase and cedar drawers with gold tooled morocco leather and wrought iron fittings on a walnut stand. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Object sampling carried out by Jo Darrah, V&A Science; drawer/slide reference 6/46. In 1968 this cabinet was recorded in store at Osterley Park. |
| Summary | The inspiration for this cabinet was the Spanish vargueño, a writing cabinet on a stand. A typical vargueño had a plain exterior that opened up to reveal a rich interior fitted with leather tooled with gold foil. The English designer C. R. Ashbee particularly admired this contrast and used it to great effect in designs for a number of fall-front writing cabinets. In this type of cabinet, the hinged front flap opens or 'falls' to form a horizontal writing surface. This cabinet appeared in an exhibition of 1906 organised by the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, to which Ashbee belonged. It was available for sale at £65. Unsold, it then became part of the furnishings at 37 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London. This house, known as the 'Magpie and Stump', belonged to Mrs H. S. Ashbee, the designer's mother. |
| Bibliographic reference | Innen-Dekoration, XXI, 1910, p.179. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.234:1, 2-1960 |
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| Record created | November 27, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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