A mid Victorian ebony, calamander, abalone, mother of pearl, ivory, bone, rosewood, purpleheart, sycamore and fruitwood marquetry collector's cabinet

1870-1875, possibly by Jackson and Graham

Footnotes

The repeating inlay running across the frieze of the offered lot is redolent of some Greek revival or 'Neo-Grec' designs published in 1856 within "The Grammar of Ornament" by Owen Jones (1809-1868). Worthy of particular comparison are several decorative patterns inspired by ancient Greek vase ornamentation which feature among Plates XVI and XVII, Greek No.'s 2 and 4.

Owen Jones was among the most notable designers employed by the renowned cabinet making combination of Jackson and Graham so it seems probable that the present cabinet was indeed executed by this firm. Added to this, the use of ivory (amongst the various other exotic materials) inlaid into ebony, along with its distinctive stylised foliate embellishments, are certainly characteristics very much in keeping with those pieces produced by Jackson and Graham during the period 1865-1875.

Jackson and Graham (fl. 1836-1885)
Jackson and Graham were one of the most successful and prestigious firms of the early and mid-Victorian periods. Based in London, they were responsible for enhancing the reputation and improving the renown of English cabinet makers throughout the rest of the World. In 1836 the partnership of Peter Graham (1811-1877) and Thomas Charles Jackson (1807-1848) was founded at 37 Oxford Street, but by 1839 the venture had developed to incorporate 37 & 38 Oxford Street, as well as an additional location at 18 Newman Street.

In 1845 the company was recorded in the Post Office Directory as cabinet makers, upholsterers, carvers, gilders and house agents. However, by as early as 1866 they had grown sufficiently quickly as to include locations at 29, 33, 34, 35, 37 and 38 Oxford Street, together with the ownership and running of addresses at Perry's Place, Freston Place and Newman's Yard.

In the 1860s, as part of their operation, Jackson and Graham employed 250 workers. During the 1850s the firm set up a steam engine for the more rudimentary sawing requirements, however by the next decade they had established machine-carving as well. By 1875 their total number of employees had reached within the region of 600 to 1,000.

The rapid rise of the business is summarised in a London Directory advertisement of 1866 in the following way: 'Jackson and Graham announce... that they have recently made great additions to their former extensive premises, which render their establishment the largest of its kind in this or any other country. The Spacious Show Rooms and Galleries are filled with an unrivalled stock, the prices of which are all marked in plain figures at the most moderate rates for ready money. The extensive Manufactory adjoining, with machinery worked by steam power, is fitted with all means and appliances to ensure superiority and economise cost. Each of the departments will be found as complete as if it formed a separate business...'

Only one decade on from this, another detailed account of the company is provided in J.H. Pollen's publication of Bevan's "British Manufacturing Industries" (London, 1876). It elucidates a business which was as almost entirely automated as any other at that time in Victorian Britain, utilising and manipulating steam in order to power their wide assortment of machinery. Yet, despite this fact, the substantial contribution of highly skilled human labour and craftsmanship was also simultaneously championed therein. And, probably in part due to their employment of specialist foreign inlayers or marquetry experts, the firm's output easily rivalled anything then being produced in Europe, as evidenced by the numerous awards they were honoured with over time.

Jackson and Graham used every opportunity to display their 'wares' at the various International Exhibitions which took place throughout much of the second half of the 19th century. They did so in order to showcase the very best of what they could produce. Their notable participation at the first and most famous of these, the Great Exhibition of 1851, was described thus by the "Art Journal": 'Messrs Jackson and Graham, the eminent upholsterers of London are large contributors to the Great Exhibition of many important articles of their manufacture'. At the 1851 Exhibition in London, they received a prize medal for their exhibits.

For the 1855 Paris Exhibition the firm showed a large Eugene Prignot-designed cabinet to the public, which was thereafter acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum for £2,000: W.81-981, where it is still housed today. Among the more significant furniture supplied for the 1862 International Exhibition in London were a pollard oak sideboard and a Louis XVI style ebony and ivory cabinet with an onyx top. Again, they were honoured with multiple awards in London, but also gained similar trophies five years hence at the Paris Exposition. In 1871 an ebony and inlaid cabinet, which followed a design by R.S. Lorimer, was displayed by Jackson and Graham at the International Exhibition.

They were also involved at Vienna in 1873 and took part in London the next year. However, it appears that at the 1878 Paris Exposition, which was their ultimate event of this scale and scope, they obtained the Prix d'Honneur for the British section. Whilst for the star item, known as the 'Juno' cabinet, they in fact achieved the 'Grand Prix' before the Viceroy of India bought the piece for £2,000 (now in the Victoria and Albert, W.18: 1-6 1981). Their principal documented commissions include work provided for; the Ball Room at Buckingham Palace; the Palace of the Khedive in Cairo, Egypt; the City Carlton Club; and the Livadia, a yacht belonging to the Czar of Russia.

It should be noted that a great deal of the success of this business was allied to the fact that they often employed the major designers of the day. Such prominent figures as Owen Jones, Thomas Jeckyll, Bruce Talbert and Christopher Dresser all worked at one time or another for Jackson and Graham. As on the offered lot, the particular emphasis in the designs of Owen Jones was largely upon ebony pieces inlaid with ivory and sometimes also metal.

During the period 1862-c.1864, Alfred Morrison commissioned Jackson and Graham together with Jones to produce extensive work at Fonthill House in Tisbury, Wiltshire. Subsequently Morrison took on the same creative combination to supply the interior decorations, fittings, marquetry furniture and carpets for his London residence, at 16 Carlton House Terrace. This latter project involved ebony and inlaid bookcases which had been executed for the library at this address but in fact became a main part of the exhibits presented by the firm for the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867. These appear illustrated in Dakers, "Furniture History", 2010, p. 207. Another recorded occasion of this mutually beneficial 'teaming up' between the illustrious cabinet makers and Owen Jones was their 1873 output for Eynsham Hall.

Unfortunately, towards the end Jackson and Graham experienced severe financial difficulties. They declared bankruptcy in 1882, which led to them being taken over by new owners. This in turn eventually caused various legal issues which culminated in the company having to take part in a court case two years later. Such troubles were only finally concluded in 1885 when the whole business was amalgamated with one of their major competitors (who also ironically happened to be previous employees), Collinson and Lock, "The Furniture Gazette", 12 July 1884 and 1 April 1885. See Dictionary of British and Irish Furniture Makers, 1500-1914, "Jackson & Graham (1836-1885)", https://bifmo.history.ac.uk

The Shell Marquetry Panel
The pictorial marquetry to the upper panel of the door depicts a captivatingly naturalistic scene comprised of a variety of conchological specimens alongside some coral and also seaweed in the background. It seems highly probable that this 'inlaid picture' is after some specific engraving or perhaps more likely follows a particular painting, however unfortunately for the time being the source design remains unknown.

Nonetheless it is possible that such a detailed portrayal, and arguably even a 'fetishization', of the prized possession of shells certainly falls within the grand tradition of Dutch still life painting. In light of this analysis, one could feasibly hypothesise that this panel could be a skilled cabinet maker's or specialist inlayer's interpretation of works by such artists as Jacques Linard (1597-1645), William Calf (1619-1693) and Peter Baumgras (1827-1904). Indeed, this marquetry does bear more than just a fleeting comparison to the 1857 painting entitled "Still Life with Seashells" by Baumgras.

The item within this lot containing ivory has been registered in accordance with the Ivory Act (Section 10). Ref M9CXU15E