Corner Cabinet
Design Date c. 1873
Designer attr. to E. W. Godwin (1833-1886, English; shown in catalog raisonné by Soros)
Manufacturer probably produced by Collinson & Lock, London
Media ebonized mahogany wood, mirrored glass, gilt decorated panels, brass
Dimensions 84 x 33 3/4 x 231/4 inches
This piece is attributed to Edward William Godwin, because an exact sketch for the piece has not been found, which is not unusual. Godwin’s ledgers and cashbooks indicate that in 1873 he designed three corner cabinets, similar in design to this one, for Collinson and Lock. One was later displayed at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1878. This cabinet is pictured in Godwin’s 1999 Catalog Raisonné by Susan Weber Soros, The Secular Furniture of E. W. Godwin, page 206. Godwin’s work represents the Aesthetic Movement in Britain which was characterized by creating art for the sake of beauty. The Aesthetic Movement also sought influence from different cultures, most notably Japan. Edward Godwin is considered one of the first artists to draw from a Japanese influence, gained from books and photographs introduced to Europe after Japan’s reopening in the 1850s. He is generally considered the most important Aesthetic Movement designer and architect, although Christopher Dresser and others were major figures as well.
ON VIEW in Arts & Crafts Gallery 3
Markings unmarked
Credit Line Collection Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
Accession Number 2015.0913
