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Cabinet on stand: M.2-2025

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Chinese School

Entities

Categories

Description

Black lacquer and gilt decorated cabinet on stand (one of a pair)

Two-door cabinet on a stand, containing a bank of eight graduated drawers with bone handles and decorated with central vignettes of figures in landscape. With the original brass 'swan-neck' shaped carrying handles on either side. The cabinets are decorated to the sides and to each door with a large central vignette featuring figures, landscape and architecture, surrounded by a border of two-toned gilded flowers. On the inside, the doors are decorated with gilded bamboo designs on a black ground.
Supported on a stand with an indented frieze and four turned and tapering legs with leaf carved gilded capitals and gilded paw feet.

Notes

History note: Acquired by Captain Richard Alsager (1781-1841), of the East India Company in China before 1823; Captain Richard (1781-1841) and Mrs Elizabeth Alsager (née Lloyd, 1798-1862), Surrey; by descent to Charlotte Lloyd (1805-c.1880) and Rev. Canon John Manuel Echalaz (1801-1877); their daughter, Ellen Harriet Echalaz (1846-?) and Captain George Woronzow Allen (1842-1915); their children, each inheriting one cabinet, Herbert Warner Allen (1881-1968) and Rev. Lancelot John Allen (1885-?); separately inherited by their children, George Woronzow Warner Allen (1842-1915) and Bruce Allen; the cabinets reunited through inheritance by Ben Allen, son of Bruce Allen; sold, Harry Apter, from whom purchased, 2025

Legal notes

Bought with the Elliott Fund, 2025

Measurements and weight

Depth: 32 cm
Height: 130 cm
Width: 58 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bought (2025) by Harry Apter Elliott Fund

Dating

19th Century
Qing Dynasty
Production date: c. AD 1820

School or Style

Chinese export art

Components of the work

Handles composed of bone brass (alloy)

Materials used in production

Wood
Gilding
Lacquer

Identification numbers

Accession number: M.2-2025
Primary reference Number: 318061
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Wednesday 23 April 2025 Updated: Wednesday 3 September 2025 Last processed: Wednesday 3 September 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Cabinet on stand" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/318061 Accessed: 2025-12-05 15:01:38

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/318061 |title=Cabinet on stand |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 15:01:38|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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