A George I black and gold japanned corner hanging cabinet almost certainly by John Belchier.

Note: The cabinet retains its original bevelled mirror plate. The turned finial is a period replacement. The interior is painted with a pale red wash and fitted with two evenly spaced fixed shelves. Shelf supports are present for a third shelf, but this was never installed, as indicated by the even pale red surface: if it had been, this would have halved the upper space. 

The work of John Belchier stands out compared with that of other makers, and his cabinet-making is always of superior quality. His cabinets usually include bevelled mirror glass that was ground in his workshop. It has recently been discovered that he also personally carried out the japanning on his pieces and in some cases signed them with his name.

John Belchier’s style of decoration is distinct from that of other well-known workshops such as Giles Grendey’s. He used different colours, his brushwork is very different, and the figurative details in his work are unique to him. Unlike Grendey’s chunky figures, Belchier’s have interesting faces, finely drawn hands and individual qualities.