Parlour Cabinet
Datec. 1871
Artist
Bruce James Talbert
(British furniture designer, 1838–1881)
Manufacturer
Gillow and Company
(British furniture manufacturer, 1838–1881)
MediumEbonized wood, painted leather, and brass
Dimensions54 1/4 × 45 1/2 × 15 1/2 in. (137.8 × 115.6 × 39.4 cm)
Credit LineAcquisition Fund, 1981
Object number1981-60
On View
On viewCollections
ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS
Label TextThe furniture produced by Gillow and Company was an unusual combination of mechanical and Arts and Crafts production. They often contracted outside designers to create pieces such as this, in which Bruce Talbert has combined machine-turned elements with hand-painted leather panels. The aesthetic period was one in which artists were open to a myriad of influences, often combined in an eclectic mix as in the case of this parlor cabinet. The form of the cabinet suggests Gothic architecture. The painted figures on the two door panels are classical in style. And the two upper panels with painted flowers suggest the influence of Japanese art.
