Hanging Shelf, one of a pair

DateCa. 1820

MediumDeal, lacquer, gilt

DimensionsOH: 35 3/8"; OW: 35 3/4"; OD: 8 3/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1937-41,2

DescriptionHanging shelf, one of a pair. Each shelf is constructed in three sections with a pagoda style "roof" over each section. The fretwork sides of each section are Chippendale in style. The central section of the shelf is bisected into two parts. An open bracket supports the shelf from underneath the central section. The entire surface of the shelf is black lacquered and there is some chinoiserie decoration executed in gilt.
Label TextTea drinking was undoubtedly the most widespread manifestation of the eighteenth-century craze for all things from the East, but among the well-to-do, most facets of household furnishings were influenced by the Chinese taste as well. Asian designs and patterns influenced everything from ceramics to architecture to wallpaper. Because of space considerations, larger items such as furniture were rarely shipped to Europe from the East. Nonetheless, English and European craftsmen did not hesitate to adopt Chinese motifs like pagoda roofs and latticework for use on their own products. Furniture in the "Chinese Taste" enjoyed great popularity during the mid-to-late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

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