Featured Mini Egatere? Whatnot? What the??

I found this small etagere/whatnot/dresser thingy.

It's 27" tall by 9.25" wide by 7.25" deep. It's walnut, with a beveled mirror, small drawer with original pull, and a carved crest featuring two urns with flames (one flame broke off long ago). Guessing ca. 1880.

In years gone by someone attached a wire hanger to the back. It seems too delicate to hang, like it could easily fall, and if it didn't, the things on its shelves surely would.

So what would its use be? The asymmetrical crest makes it look as if there would have been another one to go with it, but in all my years antiquing I've never seen another one.

Would it have gone on a dresser as a kind of supplement to the drawers and shelves, like in the photo below?

Would it, in fact, have hung from a nail, with another one a foot or two to the right, flanking a mirror, perhaps?

The bottom is flat, so it seems that it should have rested on something equally flat. Dunno.

And what would you call it?

 

Someone salvaged this from a dresser just like your own.
Or it may be the back of a sideboard, or part of a hall mirror.

There should be a mirror in between the matching piece on the other side. Just like your dresser.

 

"Can you give a photo of underside of canopy? Is there a hole?"

Can't get a good photo, but I can tell you that there is no hole, and that the surface is finished like the rest of the item. Kind of unusual for a Victorian-era piece to have a surface finished when it's not going to be seen.

"There should be a mirror in between the matching piece on the other side. Just like your dresser."

Kind of what I was thinking, whether on a flat surface or hanging on a wall. That works.

So what would you call this?

 

Salvaged Furniture Shelf

 

Orphaned shelf.

 

Orphaned.....salvaged.....Very cool. Just another example of how "green" antiques can be!

 

Cool idea! Once again, I Need Help proves she doesn't need help.

 

Agree that this is a furniture top fragment.

 

Ahhh -
Fragmented Furniture

 

Fragmented...Orphaned...Salvaged

It's all good!