Decorated overall with Chinese pagodas and architectural complexes, figures hunting and at leisure, landscapes, foliage, animals and birds, the arched broken cavetto cornice centred by a small pedestal surmounted by a turned flaming finial, above a pair of arched cupboard doors inset with mirror-plates and engraved brass escutcheons, enclosing an arrangement of drawers and pigeon-holes surrounding a central cupboard door inset with a mirror-plate and flanked by fluted pilasters, the fall-front bureau opening to reveal a similar arrangement above a sliding panel revealing a compartment, on two short and two long graduated drawers, above a waved apron, on bun feet, the left mirror plate probably original but re-silvered, the right plate replaced, decoration refreshed
90¹⁄₂ in. (230 cm.) high; 40¹⁄₂ in. (103 cm.) wide; 23¹⁄₂ in. (60 cm.) deep

Sotheby's, London, 7 July 1995, lot 26.
Acquired from Michael Foster, London.

This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.
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Lot Essay

This beautiful early eighteenth century japanned bureau-cabinet would have been a significant commission by a patron entranced by the exotic art of the Orient. Appropriate for the furnishing of a bedroom apartment, it is exotically decorated in the Oriental manner with gold on a glossy red ground, painted or 'japanned' in imitation of lacquer. It is decorated overall with vignettes inspired by contemporary Chinese screens and chests in the Chinoiserie style, in the fashion promoted by Messrs. Stalker and Parker whose A Treatise of Japanning and Varnishing, was published in 1688.

After the restoration of Charles II in 1660, trade with the Far East flourished and the supply of Chinese lacquer screens, cabinets and chests with Chinese ornament could not satisfy the high demand.The London cabinet-makers’ trade in such japanned wares was much boosted by the great difficulties in trade with China, making the acquisition of authentic lacquer extremely difficult at this date, whilst trade with Japan was impossible as they had largely closed their borders to the west.
Consequently, lacquer work was imitated by English and Continental cabinet-makers and amateur painters. This fashion reached its peak in the first decades of the eighteenth century, when this cabinet was produced. After this period, the craft declined as Oriental lacquer panels were once again incorporated into English cabinetwork. Examples of this later technique can be found in the work of the most prominent cabinet-makers including John Linnell at Badminton House and Thomas Chippendale at Nostell Priory and Harewood House.

Related bureau-cabinets of similar form include one sold Christie's, London 13 November, 2018, lot 159 (£106,250), another with the same waved apron sold Christie's, London 9 July 1992, lot 159 (£61,600) and a green gilt japanned bureau-cabinet with similar apron sold Christie's, New York, 19 April 2012, lot 42 ($302,500).