Posted 8 years ago
OlofZ
(8 items)
This old chest or trunk has been in the family for years. My wife's grandfather worked for the the state department and brought it over from the Baltics in the 30's after having bought it as an antique for his office there. Huge, 5' wide weighs roughly 120-150 lbs. Some details make it feel really old, and follow tradition seen on furniture from the 17th century, e.g. hand forged lock, ornated hinges with red felt, massive ornated handles on the sides (with a cherub face above the handle). Yet the inside is immaculate and doesn't look like it's been used, certainly not for so many years. Built in solid oak with beautiful intarisa inlays of mahogany and ebony with huge oval ball feet underneath. It's built like a trunk. So what's the purpose? A marriage chest? Some suggest it's been a trunk for high ranking officers. But in that case more wear and tear would be expected? Is it Russian or East Europe, Preussia, Germany? Could it be as old as the details suggest or is it a 19th century piece built in old tradition? What do you think?
Hi Olof! That is a wonderful piece!
I think it is a converter chest, originally sat on a base as those in the links:
Coffre de Changeur en marqueterie - XVIIIe siècle - N.52113
http://www.anticstore.com/coffre-changeur-marqueterie-52113P
Coffre de changeurChâteau de Parentignat | Château de Parentignat
http://www.parentignat.com/portfolio/coffre_mariage/
I think it is really old, and perhaps had some restorations done, but can't help for its country origin :-)
They made some wonderful pieces like this inlay in Ireland. I study Ireland furniture and have many books. Looks like something they did in Victorian times although their boxes and chests contained many inlaid pieces before and after. I have many books which show irish furniture and until around the 1970's to 80's it was all labeled as British Furniture, there was so little known about Irish. There have been many books since correcting this info as I have many books on British museum furniture esp in the 1950's all mislabeling this furniture as British !!~
Thanks for the loves and comments! I just think it may be too big and heavy for a converter chest, plus that the front doesn't open, only the lid. Two strong men have difficulties lifting it by the handles more than a couple of inches off the floor...
I didn't realize it was that big! Ô_ô
A big mystery!
So it's like my job at work: They want me to carry vanities (the wooden cabinets with marble, quartz, or granite tops for your bathroom) up a later 10 feet off the ground and put them on overhead storage shelves. HEAVY!
But, this is far prettier than any of our vanities at work.