Fall-front Secretary Cabinet

Herter Brothers, headed by German emigre Gustave Herter (1830-1898) and his half-brother Christian (1839-1883), produced some of New York's finest furniture in a rich and eclectic array of styles in the post-Civil War era. The firm's high level of artisanship and design are evident in this cabinet, which features cloisonne panels imported from Japan depicting chrysanthemums, lotus blossoms, a butterfly, and a dragonfly--highly symbolic flora and fauna in traditional Japanese culture--inserted into an ebony-veneered front. Japonesque motifs became especially popular in the West after American naval ships forced the opening of Japan to Western trade in 1853.