Pair of Dutch Louis XVI corner cabinets

The fronts of these corner cupboards prominently feature large panels of black and gilt lacquer, presumably made in the Netherlands, in imitation of Eastern lacquer recessed fields, combined with veneered borders in low relief; these panels are striking elements that bestow the cupboards with a powerful vertical emphasis. The sides of the pieces are decorated with brown-reddish lacquer panels, inset with strikingly colored soapstone scenes of figures on terraces near pagodas. These panels are made much earlier than the cupboards, and would originally have formed part of a cabinet or screen, produced during the Kangxi period and exported to Europe. The ornaments on the upper and lower edges and on the sides were carefully sawn from thin sheets of brass. The mounts are kept to minimum and are of standard design. This is remarkable, as these mounts can be found on an extensive set of furniture inset with lacquer panels, consisting of a commode with four corner cabinets – the most exceptional set of furniture inset with lacquer panels made in the Netherlands. This set was described by Prof. Dr. R.I. Baarsen in The Splendour of the Dutch Interior 1600-1800, p. 20–26.

This exceptional set is a key example of a rather large group of furniture that has been attributed to the workshop of Matthijs Horrix (b. 1735; d. 1809), based on a number of characteristic features. Within the small group of furniture decorated with Chinese soapstone panels, corner cupboards are most numerous, both in pairs and as single examples.