Conceived during a period of great innovation and experimentation, the finely painted top and inset panels to the present cabinet are executed on quite unusual surface – slate. Upon first glance the decoration recalls the trend for ‘japanned’ and papier-mâchéfurniture made popular by the firm of Jennens & Bettridge, and works with nearly identical decoration to the present lot have been attributed to the leading papier-mâchémanufacturers (see a Victorian chiffonier cabinet sold Sotheby’s, London, 4 June 2008, lot 187). This technique was indeed used to pillars between the doors of the present lot, however close examination reveals that the finely painted decoration depicting birds and floral bouquets is uniquely applied to a slate surface.
Continuing in the tradition of Henry Clay, 'Japanner in Ordinary to His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales', this time-consuming technique was achieved by applying decoration directly onto deftly cut panels of slate followed by several coats of resin. The panels were then fired at high heat between 150 and 250 °C over a period of several days, resulting in a long-lasting and robust finish that preserved the bright colours seen here (see J. Meyer, Great Exhibitions, Woodbridge, 2006, p. 330). Several key firms presented their artistry on slate at the 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition, including Thomas Gushlow of Oxford Street, Charles Steadman of Hampstead Road, and G.E. Magnus of the Pimlico Slate Works, who specialised in furniture decoration which mimicked hardstones. Compare a similar side cabinet with enamelled slate doors in imitation of porcelain offered Bonhams, London, 7 March 2012, lot 300.