Badminton cabinet
The Badminton Cabinet is a monumental piece of 18th-century furniture that twice set the record for most expensive piece of furniture ever sold. The Badminton Cabinet, or Badminton Chest, was commissioned in 1726 by Henry Somerset, 3rd Duke of Beaufort, at the age of 19. It took thirty experts six years to make, and came to be named after the Duke's country seat, Badminton House in Gloucestershire, England, where it remained until it was auctioned by his descendants in the late 20th century.
Also recorded as Badminton Chest
Badminton cabinet
- Name
- Badminton Cabinet
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Documentary summary
The Badminton Cabinet is a monumental piece of 18th-century furniture that twice set the record for most expensive piece of furniture ever sold. The Badminton Cabinet, or Badminton Chest, was commissioned in 1726 by Henry Somerset, 3rd Duke of Beaufort, at the age of 19. It took thirty experts six years to make, and came to be named after the Duke's country seat, Badminton House in Gloucestershire, England, where it remained until it was auctioned by his descendants in the late 20th century.
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Authority files
gnd · 4804467-2 · wikidata · Q799602 · wikipedia · Badminton cabinet
In this article
Overview
Overview
The ebony cabinet is tall and wide and shows scenes rendered in pietra dura—inlaid finely cut, polished and coloured stones, including in this case a number of semi-precious stones. The clock face set at the top of the cabinet is marked with fleurs-de-lis, flanked by two gilded statues, and surmounted with a coat of arms. Below that is a parapet set with pietra dura lozenges. Three horizontal sections with inlaid drawers surround a central cupboard. The cabinet rests on eight inlaid pilasters. The Badminton Cabinet became the highest-priced piece of furniture in the world when it was auctioned for £8.58 million in 1990. It again set the record when it was auctioned in December 2004, this time for £19 million, bought by Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Badminton Cabinet • Designer — Grand Ducal workshops • Made In — Florence, Italy • Date — 1726–1732 • Sold By — Christie's Auction House, London, 9 December 2004 £19,045,250 ($36,662,106) • Height — 386 cm (151.5 in) • Width — 232.5 cm (91.25 in) • Collection — Badminton House, Gloucestershire, England (1732–1990) Barbara Piasecka Johnson, Princeton, New Jersey (1990–2004) Liechtenstein Museum, Vienna, Austria (2004–present)
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q799602: Badminton cabinet
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Badminton cabinet”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 4804467-2, Badminton Cabinet.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Christie's. THE BADMINTON CABINET SELLS FOR £19 MILLION / $36 MILLION AT CHRISTIE’S. 9 December 2004.
- 2.Badminton cabinet's net gain. The Washington Post. 2004-12-10.
- 3.Guardian newspaper: Highest priced furniture sells for £19m, 10 December 2004
- 4.The Most Expensive Antique Items Ever Sold: Part I. 8 July 2018.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 4804467-2, Badminton Cabinet.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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