In the George II style, the broken swan's neck cresting and cornice with leaf tip-carved and dentiled moldings centered by a pediment carved in relief with scrolling leafy vines and flowerheads and cabochon, with vasiform turned finials, above a pair of arched beveled mirrored doors enclosing a range of movable shelves over nine pigeonholes and three short drawers, the lower section with a slant-front enclosing a range of pigeonholes and small drawers, with four graduated drawers on bracket feet, the escutcheons original but later silvered, with later silvered pulls and mounts, one finial possibly later, feet possibly reduced
103 in. (262 cm.) high, 49¹⁄₂ in. (125.5 cm.) wide, 22 in. (56cm.) deep

Anonymous sale; Christie's, New York, 18 October 2001, lot 115.

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Lot Essay

This bureau-cabinet demonstrates the success of the Chinese export trade in combining local craftsmanship with Western forms during the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of these items were used in the residences of the major colonies of the British and Dutch East India Companies. This mid-Georgian style bureau-cabinet features an unusual cresting elaborately carved in high relief with floral motifs and is constructed of solid padouk, a particularly dense timber in the rosewood family that is intrinsic to Southeast Asia. A similar example with gilt-enriched swan's neck cornice is illustrated in P. Broome, ed., The Hyde Park Collection 1965-1990, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 83. Another block-fronted bureau-cabinet carved in a similar fashion is illustrated in C. Crossman, The China-Trade, Woodbridge, 1991, p. 223, col. pl. 77.