Four Drawer Chest

Looks to be mahogany with hand cut dovetails, maybe 19th century or earlier? Style?

 

What's up with the top drawer? A total, cobbled together replacement?

 

I am far from being an expert, but those feet look older and a completely different style to me. Could this be cobbled together with parts from misc. pieces of furniture?

 

Yes to all the above.
Guesses "container goods" from Europe where they manufacture "antiques" from various parts.

 

Thanks, yes I thought the feet and the way they’re attached looked wrong for this chest. Any ideas on age and original style, feet excepted?

 

Well, its got Federal-era pulls, William & Mary key escutcheons & quasi feet, and different backboards.
So anyone's guess really on style, age. Europe specializes in this kind of thing, an entire industry was born there during the golden years of antique mania here in the states, 1970s-1990s.
There wasn't enough product here to satisfy demand so what to do?
THAT'S RIGHT!
We will "create" antiques from a few old parts, stuff them in sea-going containers and ship them to the states.
Millions of these pieces are still floating around here today.

 

Text book, isn't it.

Debora

 

I think we can do a better job of figuring out the likely history of this chest rather than just being a collection of parts (though it is that as well). The main structure seems to have been a slant top desk from the 19th century made in England.

Made in England is based on what looks like oak drawer sides and front to back drawer bottoms.

Having been a slant top desk would explain the odd partial width drawer at top: the sides used to have the support rails sliding into them, but these were replaced with solid pieces to hide its former history. The two notches at the top of the rail above the short drawer would have had hinges in them, further supporting its having been a slant top desk.

These desks were common in 19th century, and a lot were imported as antiques into the US since there was a good market here. I assume that cutting it down to turn it into a chest was done more recently, and here in the US. The market has really tanked for these desks, so it could have been done fairly recently. If it had been done in England prior to exporting it, it likely would have been much better done. The English re-did a lot of old furniture from parts, but they were pretty skilled at it and wouldn't have bothered to send something as badly done as this is now. BTW, the witness marks for the replaced escutcheon on the top drawer matching those on the other drawers further support that these drawers all came together as part of a desk, rather than being from a separate piece of furniture, which is the other possibility as someone already said.

Besides the starting desk, the top would be a replacement, as obviously are the feet. And the hardware is probably all replaced, though the two top drawer pulls could be original (can't tell from the pics attached but a close up look at interior and exterior would answer the question). A look underneath would indicate the type of feet originally attached. But really, it isn't worth any more thought, unless it is super cheap and you are either looking for some old wood and parts to repair some other piece of furniture, or you need a chest and appreciate its sad and complicated history.

Sample English desk which would have been the starting point:

 

"Text book, isn't it."

Yes, it is.
You see this in flea markets, old furniture warehouses where the pieces were passed/didn't sell at auction, garage sales,etc

 

Thank you all for the informative replies. It's at a higher-end resale/thrift shop in the Montrose area of Houston, currently at $175.

 

Maybe $50 at auction in my part of the U.S. Midwest.

 

Well, if using for personal use & it works well, why not? but if trying to flip, no.
The keyword in the above quote is "thrift", there is a reason they are trying to get a sale there.

 

Thanks again for the opinions. I'm going to pass on it, but will add that even as a Frankenstein style chest, it's higher quality and more attractive than most newer ones for sale at three times the price. But I understand that for the same price or slightly more you can find better quality antiques.

 

Exactly. Well done, Mark737!

 

LOL @ Frankenstein chest! DEAD FUNNY! and that may be a bit harsh.

Agreed, and at $175. that is a good number & looks like mahogany and if the drawers work well a very good choice for personal use.
Thing is, the public at large isn't clamoring for antique brown furniture so that leaves a dwindling number of old furniture collectors and that could be sticky if trying to re-sell.
It would be different if new collectors were entering the market in large numbers shopping for entry-level pieces but at the moment that doesn't seem to be happening.

 

I would note that not all "container furniture" is manufactured from old parts, some dealers specialize in antique furniture from Europe and make trips there regularly to buy, ditto some collectors and they gotta get it here somehow!
I myself, a notorious American Only type collector have gone after some of these pieces from time to time. A Swiss slate top table I posted on here a few years ago comes immediately to mind, there is a thread in here on it somewhere.
Then there was the case of Barbara Piasecka Johnson, you know, the lady who immigrated from Poland in the 1960s and landed a job as a chambermaid at one of the
Johnson & Johnson brothers estates and somehow managed to marry him. When he died she instantly became a billionaire! lucky girl!
She died 8 or 9 years ago and there was this table at the estate in Princeton NJ that was put up for auction titled "American Tavern Table". I was fooled by the drawer side photo ( not the first time I have been fooled by photos of old furniture), it looked like yellow pine/ heart pine but, it turned out to be red pine or sometimes called Norway pine.
Long story short, It was a period William & Mary English C. 1700 side table in Pear wood with red pine secondary wood. Kind of a long way away from "American tavern table".
What to do now? Had it refinished and replaced the hideous and inappropriate wood pulls with W&M cast pulls with iron wire from Optimum Brasses in the UK. Used as a lamp table now.

The photo that fooled me, notice the single large dovetail which indicates very early and, is that yellow pine? Unfortunately, it is NOT!

Drawer Side



Table as I got it


Restored, English W&M side table C 1700 in Pear


Top

 

The "Game Table" I was interested in some years ago, the auction house had NO IDEA what it was but at least was honest in describing it as "origin unknown".
It is a Swiss slate top table, 18th century, and sold for $7500. It seems designer ladies are very interested in this form and don't mind stepping up at auction to win.
Thread is here
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/game-table.30338/

Swiss Slate table, late 18th C


The Top

 

I read the old thread on the swiss table top, and I wholeheartedly agree with Jeff. I think it is perfectly logical as to why they shipped the slate tops for these tables, along with James theory that they were fashionable. It is quite fascinating that the same appeal still remains among the 'decorator type ladies' and there still is a profitable trade route for these tables to be shipped to europe.