Puzzle Cabinet | Unknown | V&A Explore The Collections (original) (raw)
- On display at Kensington Palace, London
This cabinet belonged to Lady Charlotte Finch, Royal Governess to the children of George III. She had it commissioned to hold several dissected map puzzles, which she had created for the royal children. Many of these have survived, having been kept within the cabinet (see B.2 to 19-2011).
Finch is credited in a note within the cabinet, by an unknown hand, as having created dissected map puzzles. Educational pastimes of this variety, however, had begun to increase in number immensely during the latter half of the 18th century, with leisure time becoming linked to marketable commodities aimed at those with disposable income.
Object details
| Categories | Children & ChildhoodRoyaltyFurnitureGames (Puzzles & Board Games)Education & Learning |
|---|---|
| Object type | Puzzle cabinet |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.CabinetCabinets on Stands |
| Materials and techniques | Cabinetry in varnished mahogany and brass, with manuscriptMahoganyBrassPaperVarnishCabinet MakingVarnishingHandwriting |
| Brief description | Lady Charlotte Finch's puzzle cabinet, upper cabinet with 13 drawers on lower cabinet with legs, varnished mahogany and brass fittings, English, 1760s. |
| Physical description | Mahogany cabinet in two parts, made for the storage of dissected puzzles.The upper cabinet Mahogany cabinet has 13 shallow drawers, each with two round brass ring pulls, behind double doors, and brass handles on each side of the cabinet. On the inside of the proper left door is a piece of manuscript, a 'provenance note' written and affixed in the 19th century to identify the owner as Lady Charlotte Finch. There is a curved area on the roof of the cabinet where the varnish has removed.The lower cabinet is on legs with three drawers; each would have originally had two dark green ribbon pulls, but now the top has one right, the middle has two and the bottom has one left. The drawers are behind a drop-down door with key hole. There is a ridge where the upper cabinet sits, and in that area is a large crack along the top. |
| Dimensions | Upper cabinet height: 308mmUpper cabinet width: 380mm (Doors closed)Upper cabinet depth: 240mm (Doors closed)Lower cabinet height: 735mmLower cabinet width: 480mmLower cabinet depth: 290mmBoth cabinets together height: 1040mmBoth cabinets together width: 480mm (Maximum)Both cabinets together depth: 290mm (Maximum) |
| Production type | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Cabinet belonging / to Lady Charlotte Finch / (sister to Lady Juliana Penn) / governess to the children of / George the Third / She was the inventor of dissecting / maps & those in this cabinet / were expensively made for, & always / used in teaching geography to / George the Fourth, his brothers / & sisters'NoteText of handwritten provenance note affixed to inside of the cabinet |
| Credit line | Presented by Art Fund jointly to the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Historic Royal Palaces |
| Historical context | Lady Charlotte Finch (1725-1813) was governess to the children of King George III for 30 years from 1762-1792. In this time, she oversaw 14 of the king and queen's 15 children. |
| Subjects depicted | PuzzlesCabinetsRoyalty |
| Associations | Finch, Charlotte (Lady)George IV, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Summary | This cabinet belonged to Lady Charlotte Finch, Royal Governess to the children of George III. She had it commissioned to hold several dissected map puzzles, which she had created for the royal children. Many of these have survived, having been kept within the cabinet (see B.2 to 19-2011).Finch is credited in a note within the cabinet, by an unknown hand, as having created dissected map puzzles. Educational pastimes of this variety, however, had begun to increase in number immensely during the latter half of the 18th century, with leisure time becoming linked to marketable commodities aimed at those with disposable income. |
| Associated objects | B.2-2011B.3-2011B.4-2011B.5-2011B.6-2011B.7-2011B.8-2011B.9-2011B.10-2011B.11-2011B.12-2011B.13-2011B.14-2011B.15-2011B.16-2011B.17-2011B.18-2011B.19-2011 |
| Bibliographic reference | Shefrin, Jill. Such Constant Affectionate Care: Lady Charlotte Finch - Royal Governess & the Children of George III . Los Angeles: The Cotsen Occasional Press, 2003 p. 168 |
| Collection | Young V&A Collection |
| Accession number | B.1:1 & 2-2011 |
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