A George III Rosewood, Amaranth and Marquetry Cabinet on Stand

Circa 1775

the door opening to an interior with one shelf.
Height 48 3/4 x width 24 3/4 x depth 15 1/4 inches.

This lot is located in Chicago.

Provenance:

Sotheby's, London, November 17, 1994, Lot 67

Note:

The use of rich, exotic timbers like Rosewood and Amaranth along with the open spandrel brackets beneath the cabinet were popularized by Thomas Chippendale in his seminal work The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director of 1754. While Chippendale was not the first, or only cabinet maker to espouse the importance of beautiful, globally-sourced wood; his skills in marketing his ideas have a lasting impact into the 21st century. The original catalogue entry from Sotheby’s in November of 1994 equates this cabinet with works attributed to Chippendale and his shop in public institutions like the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Liverpool and the Manchester City Art Gallery. An exact copy of this design does not appear in Chippendale’s Director but the motifs and construction are undeniably influenced from Chippendale's designs. The actual maker of this cabinet is not known and could have been any number of master cabinet makers of the 18th century like the London firm of Ince and Mayhew; but the inspiration of the design remains classically Chippendale.