Driscolls Antiques – Antique Furniture Blog

What is an antique wellington chest ?

The antique commode originally came from France in the 17^th century and this was a word to describe the antique chest of drawers. The antique chest of drawers became the term used in Britain from the early 18^th century as the French design in antique furniture was popular and so the commode was copied from the French. The antique chest of drawers became one of the main pieces of antique furniture used throughout the ages and came in many forms such as the bow front or serpentine front and also unusual designs like the antique wellington chest. These designs were used mainly in the 19^th century and the antique wellington chest got its name because of the great wellingtons victory of 1815. Originally the military chest was made for the war so it could be transported easily on a horse and the more decorative Wellington chest stayed at home. The antique wellington chest first came about during the 1820s, and are tall narrow in shape, usually with seven drawers (one for every day of the week). Instead of each drawer having its own lock, they have a single locking mechanism in the form of a hinged flap on the side, which locks over the drawer fronts to stop them opening.

We currently have a very nice example for sale and it is a Victorian oak Wellington chest. This antique chest has a rectangular top above seven graduating mahogany lined drawers with turned handles. The chest has two beautifully carved corbels, stands on a plain plinth. It is a very nice piece of antique furniture, not only decorative but also very useful.

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Antique Chests of Drawers and Antique Tallboys
Most chests up to the mid 18th century were straight fronted with simple lines, usually with four or five drawers, and stood on bracket feet or cabriole legs. Most of the antique chest of drawers have cock beading around the drawer edges. This design stayed the same for many years and was even copied in the Edwardian times. From the late 18th century new designs of antique chests were being made and were influenced from the French furniture. French furniture had more curves, corners, and rococo carving. Fine inlay also became fashionable and serpentine shapes. The bow-fronted chest of drawers then also became popular and is a very nice shape.

As chests progressed also string inlay or brass inlay on the drawer fronts and around the edges was used the use of a deep frieze above the top drawer, which gave the chest of drawers a look of tallness.

Antique chests of drawers were tall, small, bow fronted, straight-fronted, had turned feet, bracket feet and they came with some distinctive features like quarter columns, spiral shaped or Needed on the front corners of the chests of drawers. Antique tallboys or also known as antique chest on chests were also very popular as they were a chest of drawers on a chest of drawers so had plenty of storage.

A nice simple design of an antique furniture chest is a small antique Georgian mahogany chest of drawers that we have for sale. This chest has a rectangular top with a reeded edge above two over two graduating cock beaded drawers. It stands on shaped bracket feet and is a very nice small size.

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Georgian or Edwardian Chest of Drawers ?

When looking for good quality antique chest of drawers but two sets look very similar but are completely different ages, what is the difference?

We have put up for sale two very nice antique chest of drawers this week and they look very similar in style but one is Georgian and the other is Edwardian so they are over 100 years apart. The Edwardians copied the Georgian style so this is why they look so similar and they are both very good looking and good quality chests but if it is an investment piece then the Georgian piece will be the one for you. The Edwardian chest will still be a good investment and is much more reasonable to buy so both are good pieces of antique furniture in their own rights.

The Edwardian chest of drawers is constructed from mahogany and has two over three mahogany lined drawers with swan neck handles. The antique chest of drawers has cross banding around all the edges and is a very nice chest.

The antique Georgian chest of drawers has two over three graduating drawers with brass swan neck handles shaped bracket feet. It is also constructed from solid mahogany and is very similar in style but is much older.

Both are very nice antique chests and would look very nice in any home as they are not over fussy and are very nice pieces of antique furniture.

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Did Antique military furniture come in oak?

We see antique military furniture mainly in mahogany but occasionally we do come across a few rare pieces in oak. I think the oak pieces would have been especially ordered by an individual who preferred oak as most are in mahogany or walnut or camphor wood. On the rare occasion that we get antique military furniture made from oak it does not hang around but this week we have put up for sale a rare regency antique oak military chest of drawers and may have been used in the Napoleonic wars. This unusual antique chest has brass corner mounts and splits in two for ease of removals. The antique chest has two over three longer drawers with sunken brass military handles and stands on four removable turned bun feet. It is a nice mellow light colour so it would fit not only in old interiors but it would look really good in a modern interior. We also have a very nice Georgian military chest coming in this week so please keep an eye on our site as they do not hang around as they are rare to come by and they come with such a great history. The chest that is coming in stock is a mahogany chest with ebony inlay, a very nice piece of antique furniture.

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Where can I buy Victorian mahogany chest of drawers

Antique Victorian Mahogany Scottish Chest of Drawers
Victorian chest of drawers can come in lots of different sizes and grades of quality. Here at driscolls Antiques we stock all sizes and only deal in the best quality. This week we have for sale an antique Victorian mahogany Scottish chest of drawers that was built in around the 1860s. This antique chest has a shaped top with a moulded edge above a deep shaped freeze drawer. The antique chest has two over three graduating cock beaded drawers with turned knobs with inlaid mother of pearl centres and the drawer fronts are a striking flamed mahogany. The chest has four beautifully carved corbels, stands on a plain plinth and is in very good condition. It is a stunning looking chest and is a very useful piece of antique furniture as it is a large size. If this chest is too large then we have some smaller chests on our website and we have a large amount of antique furniture coming into stock next month so please keep on looking in our newly added antiques section for details. You can always email us with your requirements as we wave a wanted service so we can try to find the most suitable antique chest of drawers for you.

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Small Antique Chest of Drawers For Sale
Finding smaller antique chest of drawers is very difficult to find and they also usually cost a lot more than the larger chests if they are in original condition. If you need a smaller antique chest but you do not want to spend the earth then a good alternative is a later converted chest from a larger chest of drawers. This was done a lot in the Edwardian period and they look as good as the original chests. We have put a converted chest up for sale only this week and it is a small antique Georgian mahogany chest of drawers. This antique chest has a rectangular moulded top above four graduating cock beaded drawers with brass swan neck handles so it is just like an original chest and the sides are canted with reeded moulding on the sides and the chest stands on shaped bracket feet. This chest is up for sale at £795 but to buy a smaller chest of this size that is in totally original condition you would pay between £3000 – £6000 so this is a very good alternative. We always get unusual pieces of antique furniture and items which are of a unique small size so please always keep looking on our site or please email me with your requests and I will see if I can locate the antiques that you are looking for.

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