The Workbox
No matter how old you are, or how long it has been since you were getting ready to go back to school, September every year brings the feeling of learning and curiosity. In spotlighting this month’s object, I wanted to take us back to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and explore this beautiful Chinese export black and gilt lacquer workbox, and the skills associated with it.
Meet the object
The workbox is currently on display in the Georgian Room at Bowood and is full of an array of ivory needlework implements. It dates to about 1800, and we believe that it was probably given by Admiral Lord Keith to his sister, Lady Mary Elphinstone.
Admiral Lord Keith – Sir George Keith Elphinstone (1746-1823) – was born in Scotland and distinguished himself in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. As Commander of the Channel Fleet in 1802 to 1815, Keith took charge of Napoleon after his surrender to the British in July 1815. He held Napoleon on board HMS Bellerophon off Torbay for two weeks prior to his exile to St. Helena.
Lady Mary Elphinstone (1741-1825) was his older sister. She never married. Lady Mary outlived her brother, but passed away at his beloved home of Tulliallan, a castle which he had built during the early years of the nineteenth century.
A global reach
Although we don’t know exactly where Admiral Lord Keith purchased the workbox from for Lady Mary, it tells a fascinating tale of global trade and export during this period.
“Chinese export” refers to items created in China exclusively for a European, and later North American, market from the sixteenth century onwards. It was mostly made in Guangzhou (Canton), where the East India Companies had trading outposts, and, in the British case, held a monopoly on trade with China.
Lacquer was produced by Japanese and Chinese artists by building up layers of the sap of the Chinese lacquer tree (Rhus vernicflua), which created a stunning glossy surface as a background for other decoration. This box has silver decoration applied on top of the lacquer.
The sap from the tree couldn’t be imported to Europe as it would dry up on the long journey: thus, Chinese and Japanese lacquerware was in high demand. From panels to cabinets to workboxes like this example at Bowood, these decorative arts objects were purchased enthusiastically by Europeans.
Women’s “work”
From the seventeenth century onwards, sewing was deemed an important skill for women at all levels of society. Girls began learning at a young age, but of course, the type of sewing depended on what kind of instruction they had, often determined by their social standing. A working-class girl would first learn essentials like hemming and seaming. A woman like Lady Mary Elphinstone would have probably been taught embroidery and other skilled needlework, as she would have had both the time and resources available to do it.
Embroidery was a common pastime for women, and we often see it referenced in novels by Jane Austen, frequently referred to as “work”. For example, in Pride and Prejudice (1813), Elizabeth Bennet is occupied with needlework whilst she stayed with her ill sister at Netherfield Park, and, when Mr Darcy asked her father for her
hand in marriage at the end of the novel, a nervous Elizabeth busied herself with needlework whilst awaiting news. In the novel, Charles Bingley comments a general observation of the young ladies he has met in his lifetime:
“They all paint tables, cover screens, and net purses. I scarcely know any one who cannot do all this; and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished.”
Needlework was an expected accomplishment of a lady. Though often needlework was criticised as frivolous rather than a fine art, it was an occupation that is undoubtedly a beautiful art form, the result of lifelong practice and learning.
A workbox like this was not only a special gift, but would have been a beautiful and invaluable place to store all the necessary implements, encouraging Lady Mary to practice and learn new embroidery skills throughout her life.
