A GEORGE II CHINESE SOAPSTONE-MOUNTED, EAST INDIAN ROSEWOOD AND GILTWOOD...
The cabinet mounted with Chinese soapstone and lacquered camphor wood panels depicting figures in landscapes, archaic objects, animals and mythical beast, with brass carrying handles to the sides, the cupboard doors opening to reveal five short and two long drawers with conforming decoration, on a contemporary giltwood stand, the apron carved with scrolling acanthus leaves and a central scallop shell, on acanthus carved cabriole legs with acanthus carved pad feet
58.2/8 in. (47.7 cm.) high; 421⁄2 in. (108 cm.) wide; 221⁄2 in. (57.1 cm.) wide
Provenance
Probably Henry Ingram, 7th Viscount of Irvine (1691-1761) at Temple Newsam, Yorkshire;
By descent to the present owner.
Literature
Possibly recorded in the 1 October 1740 inventory of Temple Newsam (West Yorkshire Archives, WYL/100/EA/3/21) in the Drawing Room as 'a Cabinet with a Guilt frame' or in the Dressing Room as an 'India Cabinet'.
Lot Essay
This remarkable soapstone, rosewood and giltwood cabinet-on-stand perfectly reflects the profound influence of the East India Company trade on English cabinet-makers and patrons throughout the eighteenth century. Combining Chinese soapstone relief carvings and lacquer panels with Western cabinet-making traditions, it encapsulates the rich cultural and artistic exchange that characterised the period.
Of particular significance is the apparent distinction between the Chinese panels and the cabinet carcass itself. While the finely carved panels were almost certainly produced in China, the cabinet and its drawers display characteristics associated with English manufacture. This suggests either that the panels were specifically carved in China for export and insertion into a cabinet made in England, or that they were originally incorporated into a larger Chinese work, possibly a screen, before being dismantled and adapted. In this regard, the panels bear comparison with those of a magnificent Imperial screen sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 7 July 2003, lot 592, and it is tempting to speculate that they may once have formed part of a related decorative scheme.
The closest parallels, however, are found among a small and highly distinctive group of English cabinets mounted with Chinese soapstone panels, of which the present example may be among the earliest known survivors. Comparable examples include a pair of cabinets, one dating from circa 1750 and the other circa 1800, sold Christie's, London, 8 July 2021, lot 13; a cabinet dating to circa 1765, sold Sotheby's, Paris, 17 November 2021, lot 36; and a further pair of cabinets, also dating to circa 1765, sold Sotheby's, New York, 1 February 2013, lot 21.
The present lot is believed to have passed to the present owner by descent from Henry Ingram, 7th Viscount of Irvine (1691-1761) at Temple Newsam, Yorkshire. Lord Irvine took up residence at Temple Newsam in 1736, following his brother, the 6th Viscount's death. Between 1738 and 1746, Lord Irvine remodelled and expanded the north and west wings of the house, building new bedrooms, dressing rooms and a picture gallery. It is quite possible that the present cabinet belongs to this period of renovations, as extant inventories from Temple Newsam, now held at the West Yorkshire Archives, record several items which may indeed be the present cabinet. An inventory dated 1 October 1740 (WYL/100/EA/3/21) records 'a Cabinet with a Guilt frame' in the Drawing Room. The present cabinet does indeed have a gilt stand, almost certainly period to the cabinet. Importantly, the Drawing Room appears to have been furnished with several other Eastern or 'exotic' objects, including 'a fine Indian Skreen', 'a Turky carpet', and a 'China vase'. The present cabinet would surely have been in keeping with this interior. The inventory also records '1 India Cabinet' in the Dressing Room. Throughout the eighteenth century, various 'exotic' objects were referred to as Indian, whether Indian or otherwise, perhaps due to the use of Indian ports on the route of trade ships from China or Japan to England. Though this may also refer to the present cabinet, it remains a tantalising possibility without more detailed descriptions.
The cabinet mounted with Chinese soapstone and lacquered camphor wood panels depicting figures in landscapes, archaic objects, animals and mythical beast, with brass carrying handles to the sides, the cupboard doors opening to reveal five short and two long drawers with conforming decoration, on a contemporary giltwood stand, the apron carved with scrolling acanthus leaves and a central scallop shell, on acanthus carved cabriole legs with acanthus carved pad feet
58.2/8 in. (47.7 cm.) high; 421⁄2 in. (108 cm.) wide; 221⁄2 in. (57.1 cm.) wide
Provenance
Probably Henry Ingram, 7th Viscount of Irvine (1691-1761) at Temple Newsam, Yorkshire;
By descent to the present owner.
Literature
Possibly recorded in the 1 October 1740 inventory of Temple Newsam (West Yorkshire Archives, WYL/100/EA/3/21) in the Drawing Room as 'a Cabinet with a Guilt frame' or in the Dressing Room as an 'India Cabinet'.
Lot Essay
This remarkable soapstone, rosewood and giltwood cabinet-on-stand perfectly reflects the profound influence of the East India Company trade on English cabinet-makers and patrons throughout the eighteenth century. Combining Chinese soapstone relief carvings and lacquer panels with Western cabinet-making traditions, it encapsulates the rich cultural and artistic exchange that characterised the period.
Of particular significance is the apparent distinction between the Chinese panels and the cabinet carcass itself. While the finely carved panels were almost certainly produced in China, the cabinet and its drawers display characteristics associated with English manufacture. This suggests either that the panels were specifically carved in China for export and insertion into a cabinet made in England, or that they were originally incorporated into a larger Chinese work, possibly a screen, before being dismantled and adapted. In this regard, the panels bear comparison with those of a magnificent Imperial screen sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 7 July 2003, lot 592, and it is tempting to speculate that they may once have formed part of a related decorative scheme.
The closest parallels, however, are found among a small and highly distinctive group of English cabinets mounted with Chinese soapstone panels, of which the present example may be among the earliest known survivors. Comparable examples include a pair of cabinets, one dating from circa 1750 and the other circa 1800, sold Christie's, London, 8 July 2021, lot 13; a cabinet dating to circa 1765, sold Sotheby's, Paris, 17 November 2021, lot 36; and a further pair of cabinets, also dating to circa 1765, sold Sotheby's, New York, 1 February 2013, lot 21.
The present lot is believed to have passed to the present owner by descent from Henry Ingram, 7th Viscount of Irvine (1691-1761) at Temple Newsam, Yorkshire. Lord Irvine took up residence at Temple Newsam in 1736, following his brother, the 6th Viscount's death. Between 1738 and 1746, Lord Irvine remodelled and expanded the north and west wings of the house, building new bedrooms, dressing rooms and a picture gallery. It is quite possible that the present cabinet belongs to this period of renovations, as extant inventories from Temple Newsam, now held at the West Yorkshire Archives, record several items which may indeed be the present cabinet. An inventory dated 1 October 1740 (WYL/100/EA/3/21) records 'a Cabinet with a Guilt frame' in the Drawing Room. The present cabinet does indeed have a gilt stand, almost certainly period to the cabinet. Importantly, the Drawing Room appears to have been furnished with several other Eastern or 'exotic' objects, including 'a fine Indian Skreen', 'a Turky carpet', and a 'China vase'. The present cabinet would surely have been in keeping with this interior. The inventory also records '1 India Cabinet' in the Dressing Room. Throughout the eighteenth century, various 'exotic' objects were referred to as Indian, whether Indian or otherwise, perhaps due to the use of Indian ports on the route of trade ships from China or Japan to England. Though this may also refer to the present cabinet, it remains a tantalising possibility without more detailed descriptions.
