Object Literature
Sign written labels to the drawers that are visible total to approximately 34 and include; Vandyke Brown, Dark Green (x2), Dark S Green, Light Green (x2), Light S.Green, Sugar of Lead, Terra-de-Sienna, Umber, Turkey Umber, Prussian Blue (x2), Gray Peas, Chrome Yellow, Light S. Green, Blue Black, Drop (?) Black, Copperas (?), White Peas, Seeds, Red Lead, Shoe Nails, Nails, Cotton, Patent Yellow, Purple Brown, Ringins (?), Soda, Zinc Nails, Copper Rivets, Blue Verditer, Sprec (?), Sprigs, and French Beans.
Pigments are the basis of all paints, and have been used for millennia. They are ground colored material. Early pigments were simply as ground earth or clay, and were made into paint with spit or fat whilst modern pigments are often sophisticated masterpieces of chemical engineering. Pigments such as Chrome Yellow came into being in 1816, whilst Blue Verditer for instance was more widely used in the mid 18th century.
The fact that we can see pigment colours alongside materials such as nails, cotton ,soda and rivets point to the piece being multifunctional and the supplier in question therefore must have sold to wider spectrum, perhaps, than just that of the artist. Banks, nests or flights of drawers such as this would have been the staple of the artists workshop or colourman’s materials supply store and this piece would have stood behind the main counter. They are now used for a myriad of other purposes.
The style of the signwriting is very much of the early nineteenth century, along with the double cock-beaded edge to the frame, both pointing to an early nineteenth century example which is early for such a piece. We have had painted tin room name plate labels from this period from Rudding Park House, which were very similar in their execution.
A rare and stunningly beautiful piece of useable furniture that has huge decorative appeal and historic importance. Exceptional.
