In looking over the list of exhibits, one finds evidence of the fickleness of fashions. The manufacture of decorative articles of furniture of papier-maché was then very extensive, and there are several specimens of this class of work executed, both by French and English firms. The drawing-room of 1850 to 1860 was apparently incomplete without occasional chairs, a screen with painted panel, a work table, or some small cabinet or casket of this decorative but somewhat flimsy material.
The design and execution of mountings of cabinets in metal work, particularly of the highly-chased and gilt bronzes for the enrichment of meubles de luxe, was then, as it still to a great extent remains, the specialité of the Parisian craftsman, and almost the only English exhibits of such work were those of foreigners who had settled amongst us.
SIDEBOARD.
In Carved Oak, with subjects taken from Sir Walter Scott's "Kenilworth."
DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED BY MESSRS. COOKES, WARWICK. 1851 EXHIBITION, LONDON.
A STATE CHAIR.
Carved and Gilt Frame, Upholstered in Ruby Silk, Embroidered with the Royal Coat of Arms and the Prince of Wales' Plumes.