Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Her Majesty’s Furniture: A Royal Commode

Commode
Bernard (II) Van Risamburgh
1745
Purchased by King George IV
The Royal Collection
This commode (or vanity) was created circa 1745 by Bernard Van Risamburgh.  Van Risamburgh, who went by his initials, BVRB, was celebrated for his furniture-making skills and his use of lacquer and marquetry.  To create this piece, the black lacquer was stripped from a Seventeenth Century Japanese screen, and transferred to this commode.  Any imperfections in the lacquer were hidden with the many ormolu mounts and marble top.  BVRB was able to piece together several sections of the original antique screen so that the painted scene would remain intact.  It was, truly, quite a masterful destruction of an antique, and with surprisingly attractive results.  This commode was purchased by King George IV who had a love of Asian-inspired art and is now part of The Royal Collection.

1 comment:

Home Theater Fanatic said...

Brilliant piece of craftsmanship, King George had a great love for the art i believe.