Terms and conditions of use
Sideboard
(c. 1872)
Medium
ebonised wood, mirror glass, brass, paint, gold leaf
Measurements
(a-e) 196.3 × 182.8 × 51.4 cm (overall)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1975
Gallery location
18th & 19th Century Decorative Arts & Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
Painted decoration on furniture, inspired by the Middle Ages, was revived in Britain around 1860 by William Morris and his associates. The painted panels on this imposing ebonised sideboard similarly draw on a nostalgia for the English past: the panels on the lower doors have portraits of a jester and a scholar reading a book, both in medieval dress; the side panels are decorated with birds in woodland settings; the faces within the circles in the cove of the back depict the Four Winds; and the panels on the upper cupboards are representations of morning and night.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
London, England
Accession Number
D144.a-e-1975
Department
International Decorative Arts
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited
Physical description
Two stages: upper with five levels; lower with central section comprising long drawer above a cupboard.