THIS MONTH’S SPOTLIGHT – FEBRUARY 2025 – Asia Meets Europe

Chinese fashion, which experienced a veritable heyday in 18th century Europe, affected all areas of arts and crafts. It was not limited to individual decorative motifs, but was also reflected in the external forms or in the newly emerging art of lacquerwork.

This lacquer art in particular aroused great interest among the ebenists, who were always on the lookout for new designs for their furniture. While they initially integrated individual pieces imported from Asia into their furniture, they soon developed lacquers made from local resins, which they used to cover their works in the style of the Asian models.

Pierre Harry Mewesen (1731-1804, Master 1766) was one of the masters who incorporated Asian lacquer work into furniture. His oeuvre includes this secretary, in which he fitted black-ground lacquer panels with gold-glazed reliefs into a body of European origin. The lacquer work is of outstanding quality and has come down to us over the centuries in excellent condition.

With this secretary, Mewesen succeeded in creating a piece of furniture in which European and Asian craftsmanship merge successfully.

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