French Marquetry Commode or Dessert Console, circa 1800s

Mid 18th Century French provincial carved walnut commode or chest of drawers, molded top, three drawers, canted stiles, paneled sides, and shaped feet.

19th century Louis XVI style Provincial fruitwood and marble-top commode or chest of drawers, the rectangular variegated charcoal marble top above a case fitted with three long drawe...

Louis XVI style marble-top bombe commode or chest of drawers, 19th century. The rectangular pudding stone top over two drawers, inlaid with marquetry floral design, gilt metal mounts...

Italian walnut parquetry inlaid bombe sided commode in the 18th Century taste. Two small drawers and two large ones.  

Continental figured walnut and gilt metal-mounted petite commode, 19th century, lockplates stamped "P. Wertheim & Co...", serpentine top, conforming drawers, cabriole legs.  

Northern European mahogany marble top commode with painted feet, first half 19th century.  

Found in the South of France, this 18th century French Chest of Drawers is constructed of solid walnut having a serpentine front ...

An Italian neoclassical period fruitwood commode from the early 19th century, with four drawers and marquetry décor. Created in Italy during the early years of the 19th century, this...

A very fine early 19th century Louis XVI Style Directoire commode from France. A shaped “Gris Sainte Anne” marble top with rounded front corners and a beveled edge sits above three s...

Antique French Provincial Commode Circa 1800

Vintage French marquetry commode with detailed brass mounts and the original shaped marble top. Late 20th century.

This mahogany commode has the fluted rails and canted corners typical of case furniture made along the coasts of the Baltic and North Seas around 1800. More difficult to pinpoint, however, is the exact place of its making, since this geographical region stretches from Germany to Russia, and north from Poland to Scandinavia. That said, a strikingly similar, if slightly plainer commode in a private German collection bears an old paper label that identifies it as having been made in the city of Altona. It also bears the seal of King Christian VII of Denmark who reigned until 1808. At the time, Altona was in the independent Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein, located between Denmark and Prussia. Both nations tried to annex the Duchy, and in 1848 it was ceded to Prussia, which became part of Germany in 1871. A North Sea port, Altona was a member of the Hanseatic League, an association of seaports that was established in the 14th century to foster trade and police the high seas. Around 1800, the aforementioned King Christian of Denmark, who was also the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, allowed Jews to freely settle in Altona to increase the tax base. This allowed them to conduct business in neighboring Hamburg, a larger financial hub that maintained quotas. The prosperous Jewish families of Altona built villas there, and decorated them with furnishings that were made locally and imported. Many of those makers owned copies of furniture-pattern books, which were widely disseminated among these seaports, accounting for the difficulty in determining if a piece was made in Altona, Stockholm, or St. Petersburg. We can’t trace our commode to a Danish king or a known Altona merchant, but we can link it to the New World empire builders...