Her Majesty's Furniture: The Putti Cabinet, 1855

Cabinet
Jackson and Graham, 1855
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome cabinet was not made for domestic use, but rather as a sample of the ingenuity and talents of the craftsmen and designers of the London furnishing firm of Jackson and Graham. Made in the Eighteenth Century style, the cabinet was presented at the Paris International Exhibition of 1855 where it was heralded for its fineness.

The 1855 catalog notes of the cabinet that “the interior is finished with as much care as the exterior, being of satin-wood inlaid with tulip-wood and the fronts of the drawers inlaid with ivory and panelled, the panels being fitted with finely-chased and gilded metal-work.”  

The stars of the show are the three porcelain mounts depicting putti representing the arts.  These panels are mounted in gilt moldings which echo the shape of the central mirror.

The piece was designed by Alexandre Prignot (born 1822) who had been the chief designer for Jackson and Graham from 1849 to 1855. This piece was one of his final triumphs. The ceramics were supplied by Minton & Co. while Elkington & Co, offered the electroplated mounts. Cope and Collinson provided the casters.

The marquetry, giltwood, and inlays of marble and porcelain drew much positive attention and praise at the 1855 exhibition as did the mirror which surmounted the cabinet. 

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Pietra Dura Table Cabinet, 1680

Table Cabinet
Italian, 1680
Purchsed in Rome, 1760 by
Queen Charlotte and King George III
Pietra Dura, Ebony, Oak, Ormolu
The Royal Collection

This table cabinet, now denuded of its stand, is really nothing more than a means of cleverly displaying thirteen masterful petra dura panels depicting scenes of birds, florals and landscapes. The Florentine panels are set into frames of ebony, oak and gilt bronze.


King George III and Queen Charlotte purchased this cabinet while visiting Rome in 1760. Queen Charlotte has a well-documented enthusiasm for the art of hardstone peitra dura and collected several pieces of furniture similar to this one. Her affection for the medium seems to have been inherited by her son who purchased the cabinet at the 1819 auction of Queen Charlotte’s belongings while he was still Prince Regent. As King George IV, he displayed this cabinet proudly in his private apartments.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Japanned Cabinet on a Stand, 1690-1700

Japanned Cabinet on a Silvered Softwood Stand with applied Lime Decoration
1690-1700
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

They way in which a person furnishes his home has always been a way to show friends and neighbors an individual’s personal taste and social status. Around 1660, one of the most prestigious pieces of furniture that a household could possess was a highly decorative cabinet on a stand.   These cabinets, valuable in their own right, also served as a means of displaying rare and beautiful objects.   

Here, we see such a cabinet.  This example has been “japanned”  a technique which imitated the expensive lacquer made in East Asia. This cabinet belonged to Sir Richard Hill (1655-1727), who became Deputy Paymaster to William III's forces in Flanders.  It is made of softwood, with carved elements pieced out in lime.   It was made in England between 1690-1700, built on an oak carcass, with softwood dust-boards and oak drawer linings.  The stand and cresting of carved and silvered softwood mirrors the French style which was fashionable of the time.  

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Putti Cabinet, 1855

Cabinet
Jackson and Graham, 1855
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome cabinet was not made for domestic use, but rather as a sample of the ingenuity and talents of the craftsmen and designers of the London furnishing firm of Jackson and Graham. Made in the Eighteenth Century style, the cabinet was presented at the Paris International Exhibition of 1855 where it was heralded for its fineness.

The 1855 catalog notes of the cabinet that “the interior is finished with as much care as the exterior, being of satin-wood inlaid with tulip-wood and the fronts of the drawers inlaid with ivory and panelled, the panels being fitted with finely-chased and gilded metal-work.”  

The stars of the show are the three porcelain mounts depicting putti representing the arts.  These panels are mounted in gilt moldings which echo the shape of the central mirror.

The piece was designed by Alexandre Prignot (born 1822) who had been the chief designer for Jackson and Graham from 1849 to 1855. This piece was one of his final triumphs. The ceramics were supplied by Minton & Co. while Elkington & Co, offered the electroplated mounts. Cope and Collinson provided the casters.

The marquetry, giltwood, and inlays of marble and porcelain drew much positive attention and praise at the 1855 exhibition as did the mirror which surmounted the cabinet. 

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Japanned Cabinet on a Stand, 1690-1700

Japanned Cabinet on a Silvered Softwood Stand with applied Lime Decoration
1690-1700
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

They way in which a person furnishes his home has always been a way to show friends and neighbors an individual’s personal taste and social status.  Around 1660, one of the most prestigious pieces of furniture that a household could possess was a highly decorative cabinet on a stand.   These cabinets, valuable in their own right, also served as a means of displaying rare and beautiful objects.   

Here, we see such a cabinet.  This example has been “japanned”  a technique which imitated the expensive lacquer made in East Asia. This cabinet belonged to Sir Richard Hill (1655-1727), who became Deputy Paymaster to William III's forces in Flanders.  It is made of softwood, with carved elements pieced out in lime.   It was made in England between 1690-1700, built on an oak carcass, with softwood dust-boards and oak drawer linings.  The stand and cresting of carved and silvered softwood mirrors the French style which was fashionable of the time.  

Her Majesty’s Furniture: A Pietra Dura Table Cabinet, 1680

Table Cabinet
Italian, 1680
Purchsed in Rome, 1760 by
Queen Charlotte and King George III
Pietra Dura, Ebony, Oak, Ormolu
The Royal Collection

This table cabinet, now denuded of its stand, is really nothing more than a means of cleverly displaying thirteen masterful petra dura panels depicting scenes of birds, florals and landscapes. The Florentine panels are set into frames of ebony, oak and gilt bronze.


King George III and Queen Charlotte purchased this cabinet while visiting Rome in 1760. Queen Charlotte has a well-documented enthusiasm for the art of hardstone peitra dura and collected several pieces of furniture similar to this one. Her affection for the medium seems to have been inherited by her son who purchased the cabinet at the 1819 auction of Queen Charlotte’s belongings while he was still Prince Regent. As King George IV, he displayed this cabinet proudly in his private apartments.