Description: 
A late 19th C Japanese lacquer table cabinet with decoration in flat and raised lacquer. The twin lockable doors  with fielded panels of textured lacquer depicting stylized Japanese themes  open to a nest of 6 drawers. The cabinet is mounted with engraved copper mounts.

Origin: Japan

Circa: 1880.

Materials:

Size: 27.2cm wide by 16.5cm by 26cm:  10.7inches wide by  6.5inches by  10.2 inches. 

The detachable stand is 11.7 cm, 4.6 inches high. 

Condition: the cabinet is overall good. The stand has cracks and repairs.

Japanese lacquer mainly came to England in the late 19th Century following the 1854 treaty of peace. In 1862  Great Exhibition Japanese objects were shown for the first time.  After the exhibition the objects were sold at the Oriental Warehouse in Regent Street.

The Arts and Crafts movement embraced Japanese design, which was perceived as simple and striking. Some of the lacquer decoration was extremely complex and multilayered, but the whole composition could be taken in at a glance and could give the false impression of simplicity.

See: /oriental.htm  

the lacquer is multilayered the gilded and painted vignettes depicting a stylized Japanese landscape is fielded and stands out from a textured background.  This was achieved by sprinkling precious metal dust into the wet lacquer.  

The sides have depictions of swallows in raised lacquer on a black lacquer ground

Inside there is a nest of 6 drawers. These have handles made of copper.

The drawer fronts are decorated with depictions of foliage on a textured colored ground; this was achieved by sprinkling precious metal dust into the wet lacquer.

 Detail of one of the engraved copper mounts.

 The top is slightly more worn.