Accession Number

985.020a-l

Description

A black lacquered multi-drawer jewelry cabinet on four scalloped feet, the top lid hinged to reveal compartments, the front right mid-section a cupboard with two doors, each with three silver-coloured metal hinges in a ginkgo pattern, the doors obscuring four lightly-coloured wooden drawers and an open compartment, a total of seven additional drawers with black lacquer fronts, the entire cabinet decorated with gold-coloured foliage, mother-of-pearl, and three enameled ceramic panels, one of them depicting a fan.

Narrative

This jewelry cabinet was given to the donor's grandmother, Bertha Hill, by Mrs. Laura Dunsmuir. Bertha's husband, James Hill, was a solicitor and financial accountant in the Wellington area during the early 1880's while James and Laura Dunsmuir were living at Departure Bay, B.C. Hill was an employee of R. Dunsmuir & Sons. His grandmother enjoyed a lifelong friendship with Laura Dunsmuir and was sometimes an overnight guest at one of their residences.  

History of Use

Sometime between 1880 and 1937, this cabinet was given to Bertha Hill, by Mrs. James Dunsmuir. Her grandson, a resident of Islington, Ontario donated the cabinet in 1985. 

Date

circa 1890

Dimensions

41.5 x 15 x 35.6 cm

Material

Wood; Lacquer; Paint

Technique

Lacquered; Painted; Varnished

Country of Origin

Japan