Ebonised Demi-lune Cabinet with Embroidered Panels

Designerdesigned by Walter Crane (British, 1845-1915)

Collections

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Dateca. 1875

Mediumebonised wood with linen panels embroidered with silk threads

Dimensions32 1/2 x 22 x 12 1/4 in. (82.6 x 55.9 x 31.1 cm.)

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Purchased with funds from the Art Collectors' Council

Status

On view

Label TextThe figure on this cabinet's left panel symbolizes "seeing," while the figure on the right represents "smelling." Their classically inspired dresses and hairstyles recall ancient Greek and Roman art, while the cabinet's ebonized wood shows the artist's interest in Japanese design. The blending of these two disparate artistic sources is characteristic of a movement known as Aestheticism, which emphasized the need for beauty in everyday life and advocated for simplicity and refinement of style.
Crane was probably encouraged to take an interest in embroidery by his friend William Morris, whose wife and daughter were important figures in the foundation of the Royal School of Art Needlework. These panels were embroidered by the school, which was established to improve the standards of commercial embroidery and to provide employment for women.

Object number2004.11