The cabinet, rectangular in shape, has incurving splayed sides lined in glass and divided by a shelf. It is supported on four fluted tulipwood peg-top feet. The single door in the front is flanked by ebony panels fitted with matching candelabrum mounts. The frieze on the front and ends is chased with foliate arabesques, some scrolls terminating in eagle heads, incorporating clusters of grapes and birds. The arabesques are centred at the front on a bacchic head flanked by cornucopias and goats and at either end on a musical trophy between two addorsed putto satyrs. Running along the bottom of the cabinet are vertically striated bands, above which is a moulding chased with slanted fret motifs. The moulding is repeated along the top, but with the fret motifs enclosing husks.

The plaque fitted to the door is painted in polychrome with a basket of flowers (tulips, roses, peonies, convolvulus, cornflowers, delphiniums, poppies, etc.) resting on a mottled blue-grey marble shelf. Within the spandrels are pierced foliate triangular panels. Decorating the surrounds to the frames are trails of lush scrolling foliage and entwined tendrils, all in gilt bronze.

The orginal cabinet is likely to have been much plainer, probably without a porcelain plaque. In 1812-3 the cabinet was largely altered. The Prince Regent had acquired a rectangular porcelain plaque after an engraving of Nicholas Poussin's 'The Continence of Scipio', and on 22 April 1812 despatched it to Thomas Tatham to be 'placed in the door of the one of the Prince Regent's commodes.' This had certainly been done by July 1813, when the cabinet was sent to Vulliamy's for remodelling, new mounts and regilding, in order to make it match an existing cabinet with Sèvres panels by Carlin, which was already in Carlton House (RCIN 21697).

This plaque after Poussin was discarded and replaced by the current plaque in 1827, when the cabinet was sent to Nicholas Morel to adapt for use at Windsor. There is some confusion about the earlier history of this circular plaque; one possibility is that it came from the centre panel of a lacquer chest of drawers stamped by Joseph Baumhauer which was purchased by George IV at the sale of Philippe-Claude Maëlrondt (Lot 305) held in Paris on 15 November 1824 and following days. The plaque is described in the sale catalogue as ‘un grand médaillon rond en porcelaine de vieux Sèvres, représentant une corbeille de fleurs’. It bears the date-letter for 1768 which may be contemporaneous with the date of the Baumhauer chest of drawers.

Stamped on the back of the cabinet, twice: A + WEISWEILER (Adam Weisweiler, maître-ébéniste, active 1778-1820).

Text adapted from French Porcelain In the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen, London, 2009