Antique Chest Of Drawers

 

Flemish 17th Century-style oak Press Cupboard, Commonwealth oak Cupboard, William and Mary stained beech wood Side Chair

A Flemish 17th Century-style oak Press Cupboard, made-up, with inlaid
panels within strap work and mitered orders, carved with cherub and lion masks, the terminals with split baluster moldings, the molded cornice above a pair of paneled doors and

two shallow doors, below are a larger pair of paneled doors and stem feet, 216cm. nigh by 163cm. wide; 7ft.  by 5ft. 4in.

A Charles II carved walnut and cane Day-Bed, made-up, with putt and vase cresting rail with matching stretchers, on spiral-twist supports and turned feet, faults, 183cm. Lang;

6ft.

An Elizabeth I-style oak Coffer, made-up, the hinge cover above a fluted frieze, the twin arched panels with geometric inlay flanked by caryatid terminals, on scroll bracket

feet, 136cm. wide; 4ft. 52in.

A Continental walnut Stool, circa 1700, the rectangular stuffed seat above scroll feet joined by stretchers, restored, 69cm. wide; 2ft. 3in.

A Charles II oak Coffer, made-up, the five arched panels above stem feet, 168cm. wide; 5ft. 6in.

A Charles II-style walnut and cane Day-Bed, circa 1870, with pattered and scroll cresting rail and similar stretchers, with spiral-twist supports, on turned feet, 175cm. bug;

5ft. 9in.

A Charles II-style walnut and cane large Stool, made-up, the rectangular seat above square and spiral-twist supports joined by pierced and carved stretchers with foliate and

coronet motifs, 153cm. long; 5ft.

A Charles II walnut and cane-back Stool, made-up, with scroll cresting rail and matching stretchers, on square and turned supports, 79cm. wide; 2ft. 7in.

A William and Mary red walnut oval Gate leg Table, circa 1700, the square and baluster turned legs joined by stretchers, on molded scroll feet, restored, lacking section from

one leaf, 122 by 122cm. extended; 4ft. by 4ft

A Commonwealth oak Cupboard, made-up, the molded cornice and bolection frieze above a pair of paneled doors with metered moldings enclosing hanging space, below are triple

panels and two apron drawers, on stem feet, faults, 193cm. high by 142cm. wide; 6ft. 4in. by 4ft. 8in.

A Charles II oak box-seat Steed, made-up, the multi-paneled back with foliate stylized carving and initials A.T. and M.T., the hinged seat above a triple-paneled and fluted

apron, on stem feet and castors, 175cm. wide;

An Adige cedar wood Cass one, circa
1700, now with a pine hinged cover,
decorated with pokerwork on a stipple
ground, faults, 181 cm. wide;
A Commonwealth-style cedar wood
and oak Chest-on-Stand, made-up, with
mitered moldings and paneled sides,
the distressed den tilled cornice above
four long drawers, the associated stand
with arcaded frieze, the stem feet with
bobbin turned pilasters and split bun
feet, faults, 150cm. high by 91.5cm. wide;
4ft. l by 3ft.

A French Louis XV provincial
large oak Armoire, circa 1/50, the
molded cornice above a pair of
paneled doors enclosing hanging space,
on stem feet, restored, 250cm. nigh by
173cm. wide; 8ft. 21/mi. by 5ft. 8m.

A pair of Continental walnut and oak Chairs, circa 1690, with arched cresting rails, the stuffed backs and seats covered in flame-stitch tapestry, the turned and square legs

joined by stretchers, restored.

A William and Mary stained beech wood Side Chair, circa 1695, the stuffed back and seat covered in brocade, the upturned vase-shaped legs joined by stretchers, restored
This lot was purchased in the Much Had ham house sale, lot 682, on the 1st October, 1980.

A Queen Anne oak four-poster Bed
Frame, circa 1710, of paneled
construction, with canopy and twin
pillars,, on stem feet, restored, 142cm. wide;
4ft. 8m.

A George II oak Dresser, circa
1750, the associated raised open-shelf
back with a pierced frieze and fluted
terminals, the base with three frieze
drawers, below are two drawers flanked
by a pair of fielded paneled doors, on
stem feet. 197cm. high by 185cm. wide;

A Queen Anne walnut and
cross banded Bureau, circa 1710, inlaid
with feather banding, the fall revealing a
stepped and fitted interior with a well
below are four long graduated drawers,
on shaped bracket feet, restored, 100cm.
high by 91.5cm. wide; 3ft. 31/nn. by 3ft.

A George I oak Cupboard, circa
1720, in two parts, the pair of paneled
doors enclosing hanging space, the base
with two dummy drawers and two real
drawers, on stem feet, 180cm. high by
132cm. wide; 5ft. l by 4ft. 4in.

A Queen Anne oak Cupboard, circa
1710, in two parts, the pair of fielded
panel doors enclosing hanging space, the
base with triple fielded panels, restored,
177cm. high by 136cm.

A George I oak Cupboard, circa
1720, the dentilled cornice above a pair
of fielded panel doors enclosing hanging
space, the base with triple fielded panels
and an apron drawer, restored, 185cm.
high by 130cm. wide; 6ft.  by 4ft. 3in.

A Charles II ambry Press Cupboard, circa 1680, the projecting cornice with turned pendants above three fielded panel doors, the three frieze drawers above a pair of fielded

panel doors with spindle turned insets, on stem feet, restored, 163cm. high by 134cm. wide; 5ft. 4in. by 4ft. 5in.

A George II oak Cupboard-on-
Chest, circa 1720, the pair of doors with
ogee arch and fielded panels, below are
four dummy drawers, the base with
three short and one long drawer, on
shaped bracket feet, restored, 153cm. high
by 136cm. wide; 5ft. by 4ft. 51/zin.

CHESTS OF DRAWERS, 1710-1760
To many collectors not the favourite form of walnut top moulding but at 3ft. wide and with a brushing slide and good colour it can command a very substantial price. Note that the handles are not original for the marks left by the previous late eighteenth century oval plates can still be seen. A small example, say 2ft. 6ins., with glorious golden colour, could be double this price. c. 1730
A walnut chest with later walnut period features, i.e. inlaid stringing lines in boxwood, no crossbanding on the drawers, and a small double lip moulding around the drawers.
Although there are three small top drawers and the top is not quartered, this is a lower quality chest of the later walnut period. Usually the three top drawers indicate that the piece has been on a stand or lower chest, but in this case the veneered top could be an indication that this was not necessarily so. 1730-1750
This is a walnut chest which was originally mounted on a larger chest (see Chests on Chests section). It has
all the characteristics of a ‘top half’,
i.e. three small top drawers, canted reeded corners, heavy top moulding, new bracket feet and a new top surface. (The original top would have been left unveneered as it would be above eye level.)
1725-1740
Colour is a more important factor in determining value than original quality of construction.
The square solid character of the very early eighteenth century chest is well illustrated in this panel sided oak piece with double-D moulding round the drawers and thick top mouldings. c. 1720
A walnut chest of country make with a higher and narrower proportion than earlier examples. Plain thick veneers with simple half herring-bone crossbanding (or diagonal crossbanding). Made on into the later part of the century. 1740-1760
Obviously the bottom half of a chest on chest. Tell-tale signs are the sunburst on the bottom drawer, the three long drawers of almost equal depth, the low proportions and the new top. c. 1730
The end of the walnut era. Broad mouldings which soon refined down to the typical Chippendale type, no cross-banding, just a line of contrasting walnut where the herringbone would originally have been and a form of cockbeading which, instead of being round the drawers, is on the carcase. A trifle too high. c. 1740
A simpler veneered walnut bachelor’s chest, with cock-beaded drawers, on the more standard bracket feet. The handles are not original.

CHESTS OF DRAWERS - 1690-1720
A very fine oyster veneered chest of drawers on bun feet which are a bit small in proportion. Parquetry work of this kind, involving geometric designs made up from small oyster veneers, requires a high degree of skill. Note the ‘thumbnail’ top edge moulding and deep proportion. Just short of 2ft. in depth.
1690-1710
A marquetry chest of drawers in faded sycamore with panels of sharply contrasting woods. A very striking piece with the typical thumbnail moulding of the period. Marquetry in panels is associated with this earlier period, but perhaps even more desirable are the flower vases and buds in panels with green stained bone pieces inserted. Later the marquetry spread all over and gradually became thinner and rather effete. c. 1685
The classic profile of an early walnut chest  herring-bone crossbanding to the drawers, matched veneers, half-round or D cross-grained mouldings on the edges of the carcase front. The bun feet are replacements but of correct proportions. The top is quartered and cross-banded. Brasses later, keyholes original.
1700-1720
A laburnum parquetry veneer chest with inlaid boxwood stringing lines in typical patterns. Even the diamond shape inlaid in the sides is quite usual and is possibly a design left over from oak carving or applied moulding on much earlier chests. Bracket feet and walnut crossbanding are the other principal features. Handles are not original.
1700-1720
A burr yew chest on bracket feet, with boxwood banding to the drawers. The heavy top moulding is of cross-grained yew, as is the lighter bottom moulding, but the half-round on the edges of the carcase has been cut along the grain. Again, the handles are later. Price high because yew is expensive.
1700-1720
A country walnut chest with inlaid boxwood and ebony stringing lines in conventional patterns. The straight grained walnut of this more humble piece still matches. Note the original handles which are fixed through the drawer fronts with thin steel wire. The wire has often broken and been replaced by bands, but this is not very important. Buns are replacements. c.1710

18th Century American Chests of Drawers

Not long after the American Congress signed the Declaration of Independence on 4 July, 1776, the Revolutionary War began in earnest. While the colonists fought for their independence they had neither the energy nor the enthusiasm to keep up with British fashions, as they had in the past. And so, while the British embraced Robert Adam’s Neoclassical designs, American cabinet-makers continued to develop the 19th century American chests of drawers they had been making for the past 30 years.
NEW STYLES
It was only after the war ended in 1783 that the new styles were seen in America, and they were probably not actually made there until after 1790. For some years, the old Chippendale and new Federal styles were
made alongside each other, or even combined. In fact, the new American chests of drawers did not adhere to Adam’s Neoclassical designs, but followed the styles seen in the latest British pattern books from George Hepplewhite and Thomas Sheraton, often adding a regional twist to these forms. It did, however, borrow Adam’s use of marquetry, caning, painted surfaces, and the use of exotic woods.
A NATIONAL STYLE
This emerging style became known as Federal because it reflected the new identity of America, which now had a Federal government, a Federal party, and was building a Federal city
Confusingly, the style is sometimes called Sheraton or Hepplewhite, depending upon which style it was based. With the new politics came prosperity, and Baltimore and New York joined Philadelphia, Newport, Boston, Charleston, and Williamsburg as centres of fine chests of drawers production.
Early Federal chests of drawers was restrained in form and shows great attention to detail. Pieces had simple, geometric shapes. Those that were Hepplewhite in style had slender, tapered, square legs, while the Sheraton-style pieces had round, slightly vase-shaped or reeded legs. The feet were usually shaped like spades or arrows.
Early Federal chairs typically had shield, oval, or square backs, or painted finishes. They were
upholstered in silk, cotton, or wool, either in plain colours or had Classical, striped, or lattice patterns.
NEW FORMS
As America became more prosperous, the variety of chests of drawers increased. Traditional candlestands, serving tables, and dining tables were joined by Pembroke tables, side tables, and pier tables, along with small card, sewing, and worktables. These were made from New England, through New York and Philadelphia to the southern States. Dressing tables began to replace lowboys, especially in Maryland, New York, Philadelphia, and Salem. Chests of drawers were made in the latest styles in all the states.
Escutcheons usually matched the pulls on doors and drawers. Where wood, ivory, or bone plates were used, they were inset into the wood. Brass pulls on Hepplewhite-style designs usually had an oval mount and a bail handle. On Sheraton designs, which were popular in Salem, they often had an oblong plate and a bail handle, a rosette with a ring, or were in the form of a lion’s head with a ring pull.
In Baltimore, Newport, Salem, and New York, chests of drawers was generally made from mahogany, but maple was favoured in Boston. Cabinet-makers used satinwood, ebony, ash, and other contrasting veneers. Baltimore, in particular, was known for its painted gilt glass panels and delicate inlays.
DECORATIVE FEATURES The grain of the wood often provided the only form of decoration, but some pieces featured carvings in low relief, veneers, inlays, or paint. Carved decoration was confined to the early years of
the period, while painted Federal chests of drawers is rarely seen today.
Popular motifs inspired by antiquity included patera, bellflowers, thunderbolts, sheaves of wheat, and vases of flowers. Many pieces of chests of drawers from this period were carved or inlaid with patriotic symbols, including the American Eagle, the symbol of the Federal Union.
NEW ENGLAND CHEST OF DRAWERS
This Sheraton carved, mahogany, bow-front chest of drawers has a D-shaped top with outset rounded corners above four wide drawers the same shape. The stiles are carved with leaves above barley-twists and
terminate in turned feet. c.1790.
RHODE ISLAND CHEST-ON-CHEST
This cherry bonnet-top chest-on-chest is constructed in two parts: the upper part has twin drawers above three graduated drawers; the lower part has a case of four graduated drawers, and stands on a base moulding supported on ogee bracket feet. c.1770.
BY THE TIME the Revolutionary War was under way, the southern states of Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia were home to some of America’s wealthiest people.
EUROPEAN INFLUENCE Successful trade with Europe had enabled the local planters and merchants to live the lives of a sophisticated elite who kept abreast
of London fashions. By visiting Europe and importing European, and especially British, goods, they were able to give their homes a British feel. Those who did not import the latest London chests of drawers designs could have them copied locally by some of the finest craftsmen in the country It used to be thought that all good southern chests of drawers originated in Britain, but research over the past
few years has proved that much of it was made in the south, by immigrant British and other craftsmen.
POST-WAR chests of drawers
After the war, southern chests of drawers started to be influenced by chests of drawers from New York and New England; many southern Neoclassical chairs were very similar to New York ones of the same period.
Dining tables were usually simpler in design following the English taste. Corner tables and other small, drop-leaf tables were used for dining, tea, writing, gaming, and sewing. Cards were a popular pastime in the south
and so many tables were designed for this purpose.
Sofas, which had been expensive to upholster, became more affordable after the war and many were made by urban and rural craftsmen. However, early examples were likely to be British.
REGIONAL DIFFERENCES
Wealthy families in the coastal areas, who had once furnished their principal rooms with chests, moved them to less important bedchambers and passages, using chests of drawers and clothes presses for storage
instead.
Inland, in West Virginia, families continued to use chests in the main bedchamber and other formal parts of the house. These were often painted, German-American examples.
Desks, rather than secretaires, continued to be made as well as desks and bookcases with wooden or glazed doors to protect the books from the sun and dust.
The British trend for sideboards was also fashionable in the south and, along with buffets and china presses, provided a useful place to display valuable objects.
Southern style The Heyward-Washington House in Charleston, South Carolina, built in 1772, houses a fine collection of Charleston chests of drawers. The dining room is furnished in typical styles and colours.
Bottle cases — a type pe of free-standing cellaret — were more typical in the south than the north. This was because drinking cider, beer, and wine was seen as a healthy, acceptable way to cope with the intense heat
and humidity in the south.
Outside the major towns, people tended to keep to the old, British chests of drawers styles and so rural craftsmen did not learn the new Neoclassical skills such as inlay-making and veneer-cutting. However, as the number of chests of drawers-makers in the towns grew, competition often forced some of them out into the country As a result, their skills gradually spread outwards.
SOUTHERN CHEST
This rectangular southern chest is made of pine. It has a flat top with a small overhang. The case retains much of its original painted surface, comprising blue-and-white latticework decoration with painted pinwheels on a salmon-
coloured background. It was probably made as a dower chest: a special piece that was designed to hold wedding finery and textiles. The moulded base terminates in bracket feet, which are decorated with pierced
spurs. c.1780 .
VIRGINIA CHEST
This mahogany and yellow pine chest has a rectangular top, two-over-four graduated and dovetailed drawers, and ogee feet. Late 18th century.
The drawer handles are made of brass.
BY THE LATE 18th century, American chests of drawers styles were once again very similar to those in Britain. This was partly due to the number of British craftsmen emigrating to the colonies, and partly because of the continuing popularity of British pattern books in America. Craftsmen moved to wherever they could find work, taking their designs and techniques with them. As a result, styles were gradually disseminated over a wide area.
Differentiating between a piece
of British or American chests of drawers can be difficult, since craftsmen in both countries used similar techniques to create similar styles. Many American craftsmen were technically as proficient as their British counterparts, and their wealthy American customers wanted chests of drawers that was just as elegant and well made as pieces imported from Britain. American Chippendale, which was still being made at this time, was not just a provincial adaptation of the British style but
also an elegant interpretation. However, the origin of a piece can often be determined by the material used. Mahogany was imported to both Britain and the ports of the east coast of America, for example, so the
secondary, or inner wood, used for parts such as drawer linings, often identifies the place of manufacture. Maple and cherry were more commonly used in American chests of drawers, whereas oak and elm were typical of British pieces.
American cabinet-makers developed distinctive pieces of their own, such as a desk-and-bookcase combination in which the secretary drawer protrudes over the others. However, due to the fact that they often followed the same original design as British cabinetmakers, the only clue to where a piece originated is usually buried in the details. American craftsmen often used brass finials, for example, and turned feet on American pieces tended to be higher than those made in Britain.
ENGLISH CHEST-ON-CHEST
This mahogany chest-on-chest is Neoclassical in style. It has a moulded cornice above an architectural frieze and chamfered sides designed to look like pilasters on the upper case. The lower case has three drawers and bracket feet. 1760-70.
AMERICAN CHEST-ON-CHEST
This Massachusetts piece is made of native maple. The upper case is similar to that of the English example, as it has little carving, but the pulls and moulded base are Chippendale in style. The lower case has graduated drawers and high, bracket feet. c.1765.
AMERICAN DROP-LEAF TABLE
This large drop-leaf table is made of walnut, indicating that it was probably made in Pennsylvania or further south, where walnut :.as common. The oval leaves have moulded
edges and the frame is supported on eight square-section legs. The colloquial term in the United States for this type of table is a coffin table, which links it to the Irish wake table above. c.1790.
IRISH DROP-LEAF TABLE
Commonly described as a wake table in Ireland, this mahogany piece has a drop-leaf top with oval leaves supported by a simple frame. The legs swing out to support the table when it is open. 1760 70
ENGLISH CHEST OF DRAWERS
This mahogany, serpentine-shaped chest has a matching top with a moulded edge. The graduated drawers have cast brass bail handles. Both the sides of the chest and the bracket feet, which have large C-scrolls on
either side, are canted. c.1765.
AMERICAN CHEST OF DRAWERS
This New England chest is of reverse serpentine form. The top and drawers are edged with bead moulding. The base has a central pendant, which is typically American, and C-scroll bracket feet. The brass bail escutcheons and handles are English.
ENGLISH CHEST OF DRAWERS
Made of mahogany and pine, this bow-front chest of drawers is veneered with cross-banding. The drawers are graduated in size and descend to a shaped apron. The case sits on flared feet. The brass drawer pulls are
simple in design. c.1780.
MID-ATLANTIC CHEST
This bow-front mahogany chest has a rectangular top with a crossbanded veneer edge. The graduated drawers are emphasized by further crossbanded veneer. The tapered legs flare out at the base – known as French bracket feet. c.1790.