Description
Extremely rare example of an English secretaire cabinet which has been sent to China to be decorated with lacquer. I had always assumed that this technique was a myth, involving a round trip of 25,000 miles but this is an oak, European made cabinet subsequently black lacquered and decorated with gilt and coloured enamels in south China, probably Canton.
The accepted theory is that the ship’s captain negotiated a certain amount of space in the hold for his own use which he was entitled to use for his own enterprise, often for porcelain and silks. Whether this furniture was for his own use or a commission is not known, as unforunately it not marked in any way. It would seem to be a very early example of lacquer furniture in England, and possibly predates the burgeoning Japanning businesses in London which were set up to supply cheaper versions of imported Asian lacquer from around 1685 onwards.
