Antique Cupboard

BEECHWOOD CANTERBURY, George III style, ANTIQUE PEDESTAL DESK, ANTIQUE LINEN PRESS, AN ANTIQUE PEDESTAL TABLE

A BEECHWOOD CANTERBURY, George III style, modern, with three divisions, on turned feet, wide.   —

A WALNUT AND PINE CHEST OF DRAWERS, early 18th Century, now in two parts with two short and three long drawers, faults, wide.

A WALNUT AND INLAID MIRROR BACK SIDEBOARD, Victorian, with a marble top above mirror and solid panel doors, high by wide.

A CARVED HUANG HUALI
WRITING DESK, Chinese, late th
Century, the asymmetrical raised open shelf
back above and arrangement of drawers and
cabriole supports. wide.—

AN ANTIQUE LINEN PRESS, William IV, with a pair of panelled doors enclosing sliding traxs. formerly with a lower section, icide—

AN OAK PARTNER’S WRITING TABLE, Victorian, the leather inset top above six opposing frieze drawers, on reeded turned legs lacking castors, high by wide.,-.

AN ANTIQUE PEDESTAL DESK,
modern, the leather inset top with bowed
wings above an arrangement of drawers and
doors, on splaved bracket feet. wide.

A WALNUT PEDESTAL DESK, modern, the leather inset top above an arrangement of drawers and cupboard doors, on bracket feet. u>ide

AN ANTIQUE D’-END DINING TABLE, George III style, modern, with ebonised stringing and twin turned pedestals, on splaved tripod bases ending in brass paw castors. long extended

including three leaf insertions”

A TEAK TWO TIER SIDE TABLE, modern, with a slightly dished top and square legs, wide.; together with AN ANTIQUE Side Cabinet, modern, with a pair of drawers above fielded panel

doors, wide.

A SMALL YEW-WOOD CHEST OF DRAWERS, modern, with a serpentine top above four drawers and bracket feet, wide.; together with a small mahogany drum Table, modern, with a leather

inset top above drawers, open shelves and a pedestal base,  diam.

AN ANTIQUE SIDEBOARD, George III style, modern, including a bowed frieze drawer and a fluted apron, on tapered legs with spade feet, wide.

AN ANTIQUE DAVENPORT, late
Victorian, by Maple if Co.. with a real and
dummv drawers, turned pilasters and bun
feet, one drawer bearing the maker’s name G.
Bradley and date , another drawer stamped
Maple is Co. Ltd., wide.

AN ANTIQUE PEDESTAL TABLE, George III style, with an oval top and quadruple splayed legs ending in brass castors, wide.   ”

AN ANTIQUE CABINET, the cupboard door incorporating two late 18th Century Japanese ivory mounted panels, wide.

AN ASH RUSH SEAT ARMCHAIR, 18th Century, with a spindle back and turned supports

A FIGURED WALNUT
AND EBONISED SECRETAIRE CABINET,
Victorian, with a raised mirror back above a
fall-front and a drawer, on tapered square
legs with stretchers and spade feet, faults,
wide.

AN ANTIQUE WASHSTAND, Victorian, the moulded top above two drawers, supported on twin turned end-supports , faults, wide.

AN ANTIQUE PEDESTAL TABLE, Victorian, with a circular top on a hexagonal column, on a triform base with later castors, faults, diam.

AN EBONISED GESSO POLESCREEN, early Victorian, with a needlework panel and a triform base, distressed.

ANTIQUE COURT CUPBOARDS WITH OPEN SHELVES (BUFFETS)

About 1570-1680
Apiece of furniture derived from medieval prototypes, comprising a set of three open shelves, which in grand houses was draped with fabric or carpet and used to display plate, but in lesser homes could be used as a side-table. The names buffet, court cupboard, sideboard and dresser were seemingly inter-changeable.
STYLE AND APPEARANCE
Three shelves of equal size, each with a deep frieze; the top and middle shelf frieze are generally deeper than the lowest and often contain a drawer. Turned front supports, either continuous from top to bottom, form the corner framing, or are dowelled into separate framed shelves. Continuous rectangular stiles at the back, sometimes with simple carved mouldings. Feet formed as the square base of the continuous uprights or as the stiles of the lowest shelf framing; can be concealed by mitred base moulding. Sometimes panelled cupboard with central door and angled sides in the upper half
Decoration of the shelf friezes seldom matches; the turnings of the supports may or may not be identical on the different layers.
MATERIALS
Principally oak; sometimes walnut, elm, beech etc. (though survivals rare). Holly, bog oak, boxwood, bone and imported ebony and ivory used for inlay.
CONSTRUCTION
Framed, with pegged mortise-and-tenon joints. Drawers (where present) rebated and nailed; grain running mostly back to front; run on side bearers. Supports may dowel into

shelves above and below. Mouldings are usually carved out of solid wood, though on late examples may be glued on. Many buffets were originally made without a cornice moulding, with a planked top merely nailed to the frieze; cornice mouldings are often therefore a later ‘improvement’.
DECORATION
Principally carving; often elaborate, with guilloche, strapwork, gadrooning, S-scrolls and other repetitive motifs. Occasionally grotesque figures and heraldic emblems. Heavy bulbous cup-and-cover turnings on supports, sometimes fantastic animals.
Some have additional inlay, particularly on cupboard doors, of floral designs (sometimes with birds) and black and white chequer patterns. The latter are common on bottom-shelf friezes.
FINISH
Originally varnish and/or wax polish. Should now have good patination (see p. 8).
RELATIVE VALUES
Early examples in original condition rare; fine, extensive carving and presence of inlay may push price into five figures; certainly in four.
VICTORIAN ALTERATIONS
Watch for Victorian carve-ups, which are quite common. Look for dark all-over stain (particularly seepage around joints), regular saw marks (made by machine saw), regularly shaped machine-cut pegs (or no pegs at all), the presence of round-headed nails or screws, and discrepancies in quality and execution of carving between the various parts.
Court cupboard with canoed cupand-cover  supports.
MATERIALS
Rosewood, satinwood, mahogany, oak, walnut, and other decorative veneers. Various woods; ebony, ivory, and so on, used for inlay. Sometimes marble for tops (usually grey/ white for cheaper pekes; other colours for better quality). Pine or cheap Honduras mahogany for carcases.
CONSTRUCTION
Standard methods were employed. Many veneered; after about 1830 finer (about 1/16th inch/1.5 mm) machine-cut veneers were used. They are relatively easy to detect.
Many simple Victorian cabinets converted to Regency by removal of their superstructure, addition of a marble top, and replacement of their wooden door panels with brass grilles and pleated silk. Check construction of the grilles; Victorian and later grilles have soldered and studded joints; earlier ones were simply notched together.
DECORATION
Brass inlay during Regency. Some carving and turning. Gilt metal mounts (and sometimes porcelain plaques) on some pieces from about 1860. Painted and gilded panels (often of Japanese design) and embossed ‘leather’ paper used for decorative effect on aesthetic pieces after 1870.
FINISH
Wax polish. French polish after about 1820. Ebonised (i.e. black-stained) finish especially popular after 1870.
RELATIVE VALUES
Straightforward side cabinets (and chiffoniers) are often expensive because of their small and useful size as well as their simple and usually elegant appearance. Rosewood rather than mahogany, brass inlay and lattice grille doors (if originally intended) are all indicators that a higher price may have to be paid. All but the cheapest quality Victorian pieces are priced in three figures, even if they are ‘converted’ Regency.
Music and other small Victorian cabinets may fetch least; so also elaborate ebonised  aesthetic’ cabinets – despite high quality –because ebonised furniture has never been popular.