Cabinets are pieces of furniture designed for storage, usually featuring either doors or drawers. The Museum holds in its collections a number of cabinets, representing a range of design styles and techniques.
Wooden Cabinet, by John Byfield, about 1700
The Lawson cabinet was probably made in London around 1700. It is a fine example of the fashions influencing furniture at the turn of the 18th century. It was given to the …
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The Walpole Cabinet
This cabinet with its pedimented top and lower drawer was designed to house Horace Walpole's collection of miniatures and enamels.
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Writing Cabinet by Jacob Arend & Johannes Wittalm
In the 18th century writing cabinets such as this one were often important indicators of a gentleman’s status. This cabinet tells us much about the owner Johannes Gallus Ja…
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William Beckford's Treasure Chest
This coffer-shaped cabinet is the only known survivor of an original set of four, made for William Beckford (1760-1844) at Lansdown Tower, Bath, to show off some of his mos…
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Audio: St George Cabinet by William Morris
The highly decorated St George's Cabinet demonstrates William Morris' love of romance. It was painted by Morris for the 1862 International Exhibition in London, to show the…
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Audio: The Story of the Judgement of Paris
Designers frequently used Classical literature as a source for designs and cabinets offered plenty of scope for symbolic decoration. The Greek godess Juno appears in the ce…
Read articleA gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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Luxury Goods from India: The Art of the Indian Cabinet-Maker

Luxury Goods from India highlights key objects from the V&A's unrivalled collection of furniture and objets d'art from India and Sri Lanka. Many o…
Buy nowEvent - The Age of Vermeer: The Art of Interiors
Thu 04 July 2013 10:30

4 WEEK SHORT COURSE: Investigate Vermeer’s work and that of his close contemporaries, together with an examination of Northern European architecture, design and decorative arts.
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