Sideboard (Edward William Godwin)

Instead his Anglo-Japanese furniture aimed to combine the more general principles of simplicity and elegance he admired in the art of Japan with domestic needs of the Victorian home.

It is functional with drawers, adjustable shelves, and a rack fitted to take a large dish between the cupboards.

The construction and finish are practical and hygienic, with hard surfaces and simple decoration, and the raised bottom shelf gives access for cleaning the floor.

At least ten versions of the original were made between 1867 and 1888, with differences in design, in decoration or in the number of legs.

There are several surviving examples of this sideboard, made of ebonised deal, mahogany, or oak and pine.