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Cabinet-on-stand
Attributed to: James Newton (English, 1773–1821)
English (London)
about 1805
Medium/Technique
Oak, pine, and mahogany, veneered with satinwood, rosewood, tulipwood, ebony, and boxwood; partially ebonized and gilded; ivory, and brass
Dimensions
Overall: 162.6 x 108 x 48.3 cm (64 x 42 1/2 x 19 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Horace Wood Brock in memory of George "Peabo" Gardner, Jr.
Accession Number2006.1927
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsFurniture – Case furniture and boxes
Designed for a collector, this cabinet is fitted with two ranges of drawers in graduating sizes, intended to hold medals, coins, and other small-scale works of art. It is a rare and important example of the furniture produced by London cabinetmaker James Newton, one of the greatest exponents of neoclassicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Between 1800 and 1810, the period during which this cabinet was made, Newton was at the pinnacle of his career, supplying furniture to Matthew Boulton for Soho House in Birmingham, to the Earl of Jersey for Osterley and Middleton Park, and other notable clients. In its decoration, this cabinet documents the Egyptian taste in English Regency furniture and interior design, inspired by Napoleon's Campaign of the Nile (1798-1799) and by the flood of new information on Egyptian antiquities and monuments that entered Europe through illustrated publications in the first decades of the 19th century.
DescriptionDesigned for a collector, this cabinet is fitted with two banks of graduated drawers, intended to hold medals, coins, and other small-scale works of art. It is an important example of the furniture produced by London cabinetmaker James Newton, a leading exponent of neoclassicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Between 1800 and 1810, Newton was at the pinnacle of his career, supplying furniture to Matthew Boulton for Soho House in Birmingham, to the Earl of Jersey for Osterley and Middleton Park, and other notable clients. In its decoration, this cabinet documents the Egyptian taste in English Regency furniture and interior design, inspired by Napoleon's Campaign of the Nile (1798-1799) and by the flood of new information on Egyptian antiquities and monuments that entered Europe through illustrated publications in the first decades of the 19th century.
ProvenanceAbout 2006, Mallett and Son Antiques, London. 2006, acquired on the London art market by Horace Wood Brock, New York; 2006, gift of Horace Wood Brock to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 13, 2006)