An Outstanding George I Period Scarlet and Gilt Japanned Bureau Cabinet
Attributed to John Belchier

The upper section with serpentine shaped cornice flanked by two turned finials and centred by a cartouche decorated with a foliate shell. The two mirrored doors decorated with figures, trees and trelliswork opening to reveal an interior with drawers, slides and pigeonholes. The lower section with fall, decorated with exotic scenes of villages on islands linked by a bridge with houses, figures and birds, with a border of trelliswork and floral sprays, opening to reveal a stepped interior with drawers and pigeonholes and a slide over a concealed well. The two short and two long drawers, similarly, are decorated with figures in a landscape with villages and Rocky Mountains. The bureau raised upon bracket and turned feet. The cabinet has survived in a remarkable state of preservation, retaining all its original brass handles, escutcheons and even its original key.

Provenance
Private collection, Rome