Chests of Drawers & Commodes

Some of the earliest chests of drawers were made in the seventeenth century, often of two-piece construction for ease of transport, the drawer fronts decorated with geometric mouldings and cast-brass tier drop handles. As cabinet making moved over to the use of mahogany in the Georgian period so the chest of drawers became more refined. A flat fronted chest would be the cheaper variety followed by a bow front chest and then a serpentine fronted chest being the most expensive. Ideally the piece of furniture should have original locks and handles and always check to ensure that the legs or feet have not been replaced with something that might, at the time, have been considered more fashionable. 

Commodes is a collective term used for a French piece of furniture, often a two-drawer chest veneered in Kingwood, heavily decorated with Ormalou mounts and supporting a heavy marble top. These exotic and flamboyant Louis XV period commodes remain expensive to buy particularly if they are signed. 

 


 

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