the doors decorated with stylised foliage and with engraved gilt-brass hinges and hasp enclosing an arrangement of eleven drawers

The cabinet possibly acquired by John Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe (1772–1835) in China.

Crewe House, London, Inventory, 1913, Vol. I, p.288, in The Yellow drawing Room; An oblong Chinese black lacquer Cabinet with raised decorations in gilt of Figures, Houses and Shrubs, fitted 11 drawers, brass ring handles; enclosed by a pair of folding doors, the front decorated with Swans and Trees, with brass hinges and key plates, lock and on stand with shaped supports and X stretcher. 3ft. 3in. wide.;
‘West Horsley Place II’, Country Life, 1 April 1939, p. 331, illustrated in the Drawing Room.

In country house condition. Losses to the japanned surface. Old marks and scratches commensurate with age and use.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

John Crewe, 2^nd Baron Crewe, was painted as a child by Sir Joshua Reynolds, posing rather convincingly as King Henry VIII, perhaps a suitable historic pastiche. He amassed large gambling debts, greatly to the distress of his father, who was to disown him after having to sell land to settle the large sum of £80,000 that his son had lost. The 2^nd Baron was quite a character, asides from being an inveterate gambler and a bigamist that sported an eye patch he was to spend time in a French gaol. In the 1790s, he was to join the British army achieving great success. Crewe, with his mother’s cousin George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney (1737–1806), joined the first ever British Embassy to China in 1793 where he played a key role. It is possible that he acquired this cabinet and that in the subsequent lot on that trip. Interestingly their practical rectangular form, carrying handles and brass hasps made them practical to ship and to transport other items within.

From the end of the 17th century Chinese objects were highly prized in Europe, particularly those made of lacquer. These pieces were being made especially for Europe🌠an domestic consumption, costly and rare objects, made of a material few had seen before, they were highly sought after.  The two-door cabinet, with finely engraved brass lock plates and hasps which enclosed small drawers was a particularly popular model and appeared in many great houses. These would normally sit on the floor of a Chinese household, but in Europe they were elevated and placed on an elabo⭕rately carved or special stand to be the centrepiece of a room.  To keep up with the demand for lacquered pieces, English craftsman tried to create and imitate their own lacquer surfaces in a process known as japanning a technique employed on the stand of this and the subsequent lot.