Design for a Chinese-style Lacquer Cabinet
Anonymous, German, 18th century
An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art
This design for a lacquer cabinet reflects the European interest in the Orient, which emerged in the 17th-century when trade routes to the East were more and more frequented. Especially during the late Baroque and Rococo periods, designs inspired by Asian art were incorporated in the interior and lacquer work furniture, or imitations thereof, were in high demand. In the German speaking regions, where this design was made, there were two main centers of lacquer work production in the early 18th century: one in Berlin led by the Flemish artist Gerard Dagly (Flemish, Spa 1660-1715 Berlin), and one in Dresden run by Dagly’s pupil, Martin Schnell (Bremen, ca. 1675 – 1740 Dresden (?)). The design of this cabinet is so close to certain pieces produced by the latter, that it seems likely to have been made in Dresden, possibly even in the workshop of Schnell himself. The drawing, which seems to have been made to enthuse a client, is particularly interesting because it contains contemporary inscriptions which describe the execution of the piece in great detail. The cabinet was to be executed in lacquer work and was painted on all four sides. The interior of the cabinet counted 15 drawers, all of which were painted as finely as the exterior of the cabinet. The base color was black, while the landscapes were executed in various colors and finished with gold paint. The metal mounts were all fire-gilded and decorated with enamel. In most cases, a customer would buy not one, but two identical or very similar cabinets, which would be placed in a symmetrical arrangement against the wall.
Drawings and Prints
An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.