FRENCH CHESTS AND CHESTS OF DRAWERS About 1800-1850
German commode in French Empire style, about 1810.
The lidded chest continues to be made as a purely utilitarian article – e.g. blanket chest, tool chest; and as a decorative one also in some areas – Scandinavia, Russia, Poland and the Baltic countries. Chests made by peasant communities in [...]

CHESTS: MULE, DOWER OR COUNTER CHESTS
About 1630-1800
Late-17thC oak mule chest.
Alidded chest with one or two drawers added below. A transitional piece in the 17thC, marking the change from simple chest to full chest of drawers; a country piece in the 18thC.
Thought by some to have been used by tradesmen; many have a small till or [...]

CHESTS ON STANDS
About 1680-1730
Many fashionable chests of drawers of this period were raised about 2 feet/60 cm from the ground on turned stands. By 1730 these seem to have been replaced by the more capacious tallboy. The information below
relates to the stands only; for details of the chest sections see under CHESTS OF DRAWERS: PANELLED [...]

Antique English Chests on Chest and Tallboys
Walnut chest on chest, of first quarter of 18th century with half herring bone cross banding on drawers. Bottomdrawe has curved centre panel inlaid with ’sunburst’ and waved apron. Top and bottom halves with chamfered and fluted corners. Bracket Feet. Veneer fairly straight in figure and grain; carcase  fronts [...]

English Bachelor Chests and Chests of Drawers
George I period walnut bachelor chest of drawers. Note evolution of a slightly later period in chests of drawers in the flat veneered carcase fronts and the drawers with cock-beading around the edges. Herring-bone or feather inlay in the drawers gives a cross banded effect. Size approx. 2′ 3″ [...]

English Oak, Walnut and Mahogany Chests of Drawers
William and Mary period - c. 1690 - Walnut chest of drawers on bun feet, (not original). Inlaid with boxwood stringing lines in geometric pattern on top. Possibly placed originally on a low stand. Note the deep top edge moulding is more towards Queen Anne type but half-round [...]

17th-18th Century English Oak, Walnut and Mahogany Chests
Early 17th century oak chest with three front panels decorated with stylised geometric carving. The rails are also carved with an arched pattern typical of the period. On this chest the plain solid sides are of walnut whi ch was much more commonly used wood than is generally [...]

English Chests and Chests of Drawers of 17th, 18th and 19th Century
The earliest forms of chest were simple coffer-like constructions with solid sides reaching to the floor to act as feet. By the 17th century, a joined frame construction with panels had appeared and these panels, and also sometimes the hinged lid, were decorated with [...]

CHESTS  on cabriole leg stands, 1700-1750
A fine quality walnut veneered chest on cabriole leg stand, the legs have a scroll at the shoulder. The veneers on the drawer fronts are matched and the carcase edges around the drawers have double-D cross-grained mouldings. c.1720
The introduction of the cabriole leg meant that stands as well as chairs [...]

CHESTS  military English
A superb example in which the secretaire folds down to reveal a line of three drawers on top, pigeon-holes with a central drawer below and a lift-up desk for maps and papers. Brass protects the corners and is also used as inlay as well as on the traditional folding handles. The paw feet [...]