Recent wardrobe find
Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:44 pm
Sharing pictures of a solid quarter sawn oak wardrobe that my wife found at one of our favorite secondhand furniture shops. This thing is huge - 94 inches tall by 72 inches wide by 22 inches deep. There's minimal use of nails and screws in the construction. Most joints are mortise and tenon and all panels are hand-planed, which is interesting for a piece this late. I'm certain it's Western European, likely French or German. It's styled in the manner of an early wardrobe, but there's some Victorian influence around the base with the drawers and the hardware. From the hardware, I'd say it dates to the early 1890s. The hardware is Eastlake influenced with just a hint of emerging Art Nouveau styling. I'm going out on a limb here and speculating that it was either made by an elderly cabinetmaker who learned his trade prior to the 1840s, or by someone who apprenticed under a cabinetmaker who learned their trade in the early 1800s and didn't adapt much to newer tools and techniques.
All it required was a gentle cleaning and waxing. Pictures are below.
If anyone was wondering about cost, let's just say it was about the same as an Ikea bookcase.
All it required was a gentle cleaning and waxing. Pictures are below.
If anyone was wondering about cost, let's just say it was about the same as an Ikea bookcase.