Drawing of an armoire thumbnail 1
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Drawing of an armoire

Design
1851 (made)
Artist/Maker
A.W.N. Pugin (designer)
Michael, H. (maker)
Place of origin
Great Britain (made)

The drawing of this impressively large armoire or cabinet was reproduced in the catalogue of the Great Exhibition of 1851, where the cabinet was on show. It was designed by Pugin for the Palace of Westminster. Pugin had arranged the Mediaeval Court in the Exhibition, and, unlike other sections, this court was displayed by style and not grouped by product nor by manufacturer. It is not known who the illustrator H. Michael was. The cabinet is now on display in the British Galleries

Object details

Categories
Furniture
Great Exhibition
Object type
Design
TitleDrawing of an armoire (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Pencil and watercolour
Brief description
Drawing of an Armoire, or oak cabinet with brass panels, made from designs by A.W.N. Pugin, reproduced in Industrial Arts of the XIX Century, at the Great Exhibition 1851, London 1853, by Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt FSA. Drawn by H. Michael (worked mid 19th century). 1851.
Physical description
Drawing of an Armoire, or oak cabinet with brass panels, made from designs by A.W.N. Pugin, reproduced in Industrial Arts of the XIX Century, at the Great Exhibition 1851, London 1853, by Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt FSA
Dimensions
  • Height: 325mm
  • Width: 390mm
Styles
Victorian
Gothic Revival
Gallery label
(03/02/2025)
Exhibition: 'Makers of Modern Gothic: A.W.N. Pugin and John Hardman Jr', Julie and Robert Breckman Galleries, V&A, 3rd February - 26th October 2025

Cabinet or 'armoire'
1851

The completed cabinet resulting from the sketch shown to the left was lauded by the press. Illustrator H. Michael created this drawing of it for publication in 1853. The cabinet was the first piece of British furniture to enter the museum collections, chosen for its 'carefully considered' design 'where all ornament was strictly subordinate to the construction'.

Pencil and watercolour
H. Michael, London,
Reproduced in Industrial Arts of the XIX Century at the Great Exhibition 1851, London 1853
Museum no. D.1050-1886
Subject depicted
Armoires
Place depicted
Palace of Westminster
Summary
The drawing of this impressively large armoire or cabinet was reproduced in the catalogue of the Great Exhibition of 1851, where the cabinet was on show. It was designed by Pugin for the Palace of Westminster. Pugin had arranged the Mediaeval Court in the Exhibition, and, unlike other sections, this court was displayed by style and not grouped by product nor by manufacturer. It is not known who the illustrator H. Michael was. The cabinet is now on display in the British Galleries
Bibliographic references
  • History of Design: Decorative Arts and Material Culture, 1400-2000, Susan Weber and Pat Kirkham (eds), 2013, p.423
  • Margaret Belcher, 'The Collected Letters of A.W.N. Pugin', 5 Volumes (Vol. 1. 1830 to 1842; Vol. 2. 1843-1845; Vol. 3. 1846-1848; Vol. 4. 1849 to 1850; Vol. 5. 1851-1852), Oxford University Press, 2001-2015
  • Paul Atterbury and Clive Wainwright, eds., 'Pugin: A Gothic Passion', New Haven : Yale University Press in association with the Victoria & Albert Museum, 1994
  • Megan Brewster Aldrich, Paul Atterbury, 'A.W.N. Pugin: Master of Gothic Revival', New Haven: Published for the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, New York by Yale University Press, 1995.
  • Exhibition: 'Makers of Modern Gothic: A.W.N. Pugin and John Hardman Jr', Julie and Robert Breckman Galleries, V&A, 3rd February - 26th October 2025
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
D.1050-1886

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Record createdFebruary 7, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O74074/drawing-of-an-armoire-design-awn-pugin/
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