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Description:
Ref: JB610
Rare 18th C painted Papier Mâché table cabinet on gilded carved wooden stand. The two door cabinet with hinged top  is decorated with chinoiserie themes  on the outside and inside with wild flowers and butterflies.
The cabinet is  constructed of flat panels which points to an early date when papier mâché was made as a substitute for  wood  and competing with panels of  decorated oriental lacquer which were being imported and  used by  many of the respected designer makers. Papier Mâché has qualities which made it superior to  wood for the purpose in providing a smoother surface for painted decoration. The methods used in this cabinet date back to an influential treatise from the previous century: Stalker, John. M.A., and (George) Parker of Oxford . A Treatise of Japaning and Varnishing, being a compleat discovery of those arts ... with ... patterns for Japan-work ... engraven on 24 ... copper-plates. Oxford: 1688.

The composition is an elegant orchestration of a sweeping path from pavilions to tall oriental figures. The left side counterbalances the heavier decoration on the right with fine depictions of foliage and airy trees.

Chinoiserie decoration was the height of fashion during the 18th Century and early 19th  Century, when the west was gripped by the glimpses of exotic cultures of the East  (Cathay) which were introduced by the tales of early travelers and traders of the Silk Road. European artists accompanied formal delegations and brought back a treasure trove of art, which was exhibited, printed and generally disseminated amongst the people of inquisitive mind and eclectic taste.  

This is a rare fine example of the genre in that it combines both skill and artistry in its graceful composition: it is both refined and and luxurious in the best tradition of the period.

Origin: ;  Circa: 1780 ; Materials: papier mâché, wood. 

Size: 37 cm wide by 18 cm by 39 cm:  14.7  inches wide by 7.1  inches by 15  inches.

Condition: good overall; working locks and keys; see images: there are small losses to corners. The cabinet surface has an overall crackleur of real age.

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The composition is an elegant orchestration of a sweeping path from pavilions to tall oriental figures. 

Types of japanning in an effort to reproduce lacquer had already been produced in many parts of Europe . Early forms of japanning on wood necessitated coating the wood before decoration. It was an inevitable step to extend the function of the coating to incorporate the basic material. This could reduce the necessary processes from three to two and give a new substance, which could be marketed as of superior quality and as quite distinct from oriental work.

Crackleur can be clearly be seen on the faces indicating that the painting is original. The iridescent quality of the clothes is achieved by painting on a gilded ground. 

As the 18th century progressed, it was realized that in order to render the material suitable for the making of superior objects, it had to be refined. Henry Clay is credited with the next big step of the process, but it is more accurate to go one generation back to his one time employer, John Baskerville. Baskerville was a manufacturer of tin japanned ware at Birmingham . He was also a printer, with a passion for calligraphy. Henry Clay was apprenticed to him from 1740-49. Baskerville was an inquiring and talented man who made his own paper and ink. He already understood the principle of japanning. His printing work was reputed to be of exquisite taste. Everything was in place for the next logical step: that is, combining paper with japanning.

Baskerville and two other craftsmen had already experimented with making panels out of sheets of paper which were pasted together. In 1763, one of the other two men, Stephen Bedford, won the recognition of The Society of Arts for his superior varnish. It is likely that during the time when Clay was a young apprentice, experiments aiming at producing a superior form of papier mâché took place in Baskerville's workshop.

See: Antique Boxes, Tea Caddies, and Society, 1700--1880
Antigone Clarke & Joseph O'Kelly, ISBN: 0764316885

 

Different makers did introduce different techniques and variations, but the principle remained as Clay described it. Sheets of paper soaked in paste were pressed together, on a flat plate, or board. Equal numbers were pasted on each side. The paper sheets were then separated from the plate, by planning or cutting the edges. They were then dried in a stove "...sufficiently hot to deprive them of their flexibility and at the same time are rubbed over, or dipped in oil or varnish..." The resulting material was used like wood, joining the parts by dovetailing or mitering. The final object was "...coated with color and oils...and then japanned and highly varnished and can be brought to the highest polish by friction with the human hand".

The left side counterbalances the heavier decoration on the right with fine depictions of foliage and airy trees.

Chinoiserie decoration was the height of fashion during the 18th Century and early 19th Century, when the west was gripped by the glimpses of exotic cultures of the East (Cathay) which were introduced by the tales of early travelers and traders of the Silk Road.

 Inside there are eight drawers  the fronts have paintings of butterflies and flowers.

The butterflies and flowers are exquisitely painted.  

King George III himself was a keen botanist. This royal inclination, promoted the observation and rendition of flora in art form as a serious and fashionable pastime. Intrepid travelers like Lady Anne Monson (1714-76), wandered around strange countries painting plants.

The flowers they drew, were sometimes directly observed from nature and sometimes copied from books or pattern books. The symbolism of plants too, was hinted at in floral compositions.

It is interesting to compare the floral painting to :

http://www.hygra.com/uk/articles/art101/index.htm 

There is a little damage to the decoration near the hinge. 

  A gilded ground is used to give the wings iridescence.

  Magnified detail to show the loss to  corner.. 

To take strain off the hinges two ribbons  (later) have been added.

The lift out tray is 19th Contrary. 

 Velvet pads have been made to fit the drawers. 

These will protect the bottom surface of the drawers and allow it to be used fore keeping jewelry.

 The cabinet is not fixed to the stand but rater rests on it..

Exotic birds are painted with attention to detail.