What is a bombe chest?

A bombe chest is a set of drawers that bulges outward in the front and on the sides. The style, whose name comes from French word bombé, meaning “curved,” originated in 17th-century France.

How much does a bombe chest cost?

A bombe chest cost depends on its size, age, designer, location, condition and other factors. If the piece is in relatively good condition, it may cost anywhere between $300 and $3,000.

How can you tell if a chest is antique?

To tell if a chest is antique, first examine its materials and details carefully. An antique chest is one produced 100 years ago or more. This generally predates the use of engineered wood, particleboard, plastics and other synthetic materials. As a result, an antique chest usually features solid wood construction.In addition, antique chests are likely to be handmade, so you should be able to spot subtle signs that indicate this, such as tool marks and small irregularities in any carvings. If a piece looks flawless and regular, it is unlikely to be antique. Locating a maker's mark and then researching when the manufacturer was active can also help you date your chest. Alternatively, you can use the services of a certified appraiser or knowledgeable antique dealer to learn more about your chest.On 1stDibs, shop a large selection of antique chests.

How do I identify an antique chest of drawers?

To identify an antique chest of drawers, look inside and beneath drawers and on the back and bottom for any type of maker's marking. Researching these marks using trusted online resources may allow you to determine who produced your chest and roughly date your piece. If your chest is at least 100 years old, it is an antique. Should you be unable to locate the maker's marks, look at the hardware. Rose head nails, one-piece cast brass pommels on the drawer handles and circular rather than hexagonal bolts may all indicate that a piece is an antique. Keep in mind that hardware may have been replaced at some point and that there are many reproductions of antique furnishings. As a result, you may wish to have a certified appraiser or experienced antique dealer complete the identification process if you're unable to identify your chest via the maker's markings. Find a range of antique chests of drawers on 1stDibs.

Antique Bombe Chests

Italian Rococo Commode

French Chest Of Drawers Louis Xv

Giltwood

Recent Sales

Italian Bombe chest

Unavailable

H 30 in W 38 in D 19 in

Italian Bombe chest

Located in Seattle, WA

Charming 2 drawer bombe chest with faux marbled top. Lovely dusty blue coloring with sepia marble top.

Category

Early 20th Century Antique Bombe Chests

Small Bleached Oak Bombe Chest

Unavailable

H 30.5 in W 35 in D 18 in

Small Bleached Oak Bombe Chest

Located in Fairhope, AL

This is a very nice small bombe chest that dates to the late 1800s-early 1900s.

Category

Late 19th Century Belgian Antique Bombe Chests

Materials

Oak

Pair of French Parquetry Bombé Chests

Unavailable

H 27.56 in W 13 in D 11.03 in

Pair of French Parquetry Bombé Chests

Located in Salisbury, GB

A pair of French parquetry bombé chests, circa 1920.

Materials

Walnut

19th Century Louis XV Style Bombe Chest

Unavailable

Unavailable

H 33 in W 47 in D 21 in

French Louis XV Rococo Style Antique Painted Bombè Chest, circa 1885

Located in Houston, TX

A lovely antique French Rococo style bombé chest of drawers, circa 1885 having the original painted floral decoration.

Category

1880s French Rococo Antique Bombe Chests

Rare and Fine Antique Anglo/Dutch Diminutive Bombe Chest, circa 1770

Unavailable

H 33 in W 36 in D 31 in

Rare and Fine Antique Anglo/Dutch Diminutive Bombe Chest, circa 1770

Located in Houston, TX

Antique Anglo/Dutch 18th century burl walnut diminutive bombe chest, with a rectangular top having a wave-carved edge, over four gradated drawers of bombe outline and fitted with ori...

18th Century Italian Rococo Marquetry Bombé Chest of Drawers

Unavailable

H 35.13 in W 41.75 in D 21 in

18th Century Italian Rococo Marquetry Bombé Chest of Drawers

Located in San Francisco, CA

A rare 18th century Italian Louis XV arbalette bombé commode featuring harlequin palisander marquetry bordered by satinwood stringing and rosewood crossbanding, an unusual lifted ski...

Category

18th Century Italian Antique Bombe Chests

Materials

Carrara Marble

Large Antique French Bombe Chest Drawers, Serpentine, Marble Top

Unavailable

H 35.83 in W 55.52 in D 21.26 in

Large Antique French Bombe Chest Drawers, Serpentine, Marble Top

Located in Lingfield, West Sussex

 Here we have a lovely french chest of drawers with Marble top. Very unusual decoration, depicting a lovely scene. Serpentine fronted on splayed legs. Dimensions- 141cm wide, 91cm ...

Antique Louis XVI French Chest Drawers Marquetry Inlay Bombe Commode

Unavailable

H 36 in W 50 in D 25 in

Antique Louis XVI French Chest Drawers Marquetry Inlay Bombe Commode

Located in Potters Bar, Herts

Gorgeous Louis XVI chest of drawers of bombe form - Such a delightful piece and we date this to circa 1890

Category

1920s French Louis XVI Antique Bombe Chests

Commode, Chest of Drawers Inlaid Walnut Dutch Bombe early 19th Century

Unavailable

H 34 in W 44.5 in D 24 in

Commode, Chest of Drawers Inlaid Walnut Dutch Bombe early 19th Century

Located in Uppingham, GB

Early 19th century Dutch bombe commode or chest. Walnut, Floral marquetry inlay throughout, oak lined drawers.

Category

Early 19th Century Dutch Regency Antique Bombe Chests

Materials

Mahogany, Satinwood, Tulipwood

Antique French Empire Bombe Commode or Chest of Drawers, circa 1880

Unavailable

H 34 in W 47 in D 22 in

Antique French Empire Bombe Commode or Chest of Drawers, circa 1880

Located in Potters Bar, Herts

Gorgeous French Empire bombe commode or chest of drawers. I love this piece, so eye catching and distinctive a real feat of cabinet making and other crafts and skills.

18th Century Bombe Commode

Unavailable

H 35.83 in W 45.67 in D 23.63 in

18th Century Bombe Commode

Located in Monza, IT

18th century Italian commode with a bombe' shape on front and sides. Walnut burl veneer on front and side with elegant ornamental marquetry. The decoration on the top is made with ...

Category

Mid-18th Century Italian Louis XV Antique Bombe Chests

Materials

Walnut

Napoleon III Bombe Commode

Unavailable

Unavailable

H 31 in W 42 in D 23 in

Swedish Walnut and Kingwood Parquetry Bombe Commode

Located in Kensington, MD

A Swedish walnut and kingwood parquetry Baroque Style bombe commode View our complete collection @ www.hollisandknight.com.

Materials

Bronze

People Also Browsed

Pair of White Granite Urns on Faux Marble Pedestals

$8,600 / set

H 55.5 in Dm 14 in

Pair of White Granite Urns on Faux Marble Pedestals

Located in Hudson, NY

A pair of carved white granite classical urns with floral decoration on the bodies. Custom-made marbleized wood pedestals. Measure: urns are 26.5 tall 14 diameter pedestals 29...

Category

19th Century French Antique Bombe Chests

Materials

Granite

Mid-20th Century Tami Islands Papua New Guinea Tribal Wooden Feast Bowl

$4,200

H 4 in W 22 in D 9.5 in

Mid-20th Century Tami Islands Papua New Guinea Tribal Wooden Feast Bowl

Located in Point Richmond, CA

mid-20th century Tami Islands Papua new guinea wooden feast bowl Of classic form, each end carved with raised and incised imagery depicting stylized sea creatures with decorative in...

Category

Mid-20th Century Papua New Guinean Antique Bombe Chests

Materials

Kaolin, Wood

Set of 12 Minton Gold Rimmed Porcelain Ball Dinner Plates

$3,800 / set

$4,750

H 31.5 in W 37.41 in D 19.3 in

Small Louis XV Commode Attibuted to Criard

By Matthieu Criaerd

Located in Berlin, DE

A small Louis XV commode attributed to Antoine Mathieu Criaerd, called “Criard“ (circa 1727-1787, maître from 1747), with two small drawers and one long drawer, with a serpentine sha...

Category

Mid-18th Century French Louis XV Antique Bombe Chests

Materials

Breccia Marble

French 19th Century Louis XV Style Ormolu-Mounted Kingwood Bureau-Plat Desk

$125,000

$734

$43,280Sale Price|20% Off

H 41.93 in W 56.3 in D 32.68 in

Andrea Brustolon Carved Venetian Baroque Walnut Settee Sofa Bench Brown Leather

By Valentino Besarel, Andrea Brustolon

Located in West Sussex, Pulborough

We are delighted to offer for sale this very rare finely carved Venetian Baroque style figural walnut throne settee or bench, attributed to Valentino Panciera Besarel (Venice, 1829-1...

Category

1850s Italian Baroque Antique Bombe Chests

Materials

Leather, Walnut

Vintage Regency Marble Top Marquetry Bombe Chest

$1,950

H 30.25 in W 33.75 in D 16 in

Vintage Regency Marble Top Marquetry Bombe Chest

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

A stunning vintage Marquetry Bombe chest. Beautiful inlay detail and black marble top. A second matching chaser is also available on my page. Acquired from a Palm Beach estate.

Category

Mid-20th Century North American Regency Antique Bombe Chests

Materials

Belgian Black Marble

20th Century French Louis XV Inlaid Marble and Ormolu Bombe Commode

$4,850

H 34 in W 47 in D 21 in

20th Century French Louis XV Inlaid Marble and Ormolu Bombe Commode

Located in Dallas, TX

Vintage French Louis XVI style commode features shaped Italian green marble-top surmounting two-drawer chest in bombe form having book matched inlay with cast bronze mounts and raise...

Category

20th Century French Louis XV Antique Bombe Chests

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Get Updated with New Arrivals

Save "Antique Bombe Chests", and we’ll notify you when there are new listings in this category.

Antique Bombe Chests For Sale on 1stDibs

An assortment of antique bombe chests is available at 1stDibs. Frequently made of wood, metal and stone, all antique bombe chests available were constructed with great care. Antique bombe chests have been produced for many years, with earlier versions available from the 18th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 20th Century. Louis XV, Rococo and Baroque antique bombe chests are consistently popular styles. Antique bombe chests have been a part of the life’s work for many furniture makers, but those produced by Gaumeloose, Handley Johnson Handley and Jean-Francois Coulon are consistently popular.

How Much are Antique Bombe Chests?

Antique bombe chests can differ in price owing to various characteristics — the average selling price at 1stDibs is $5,500, while the lowest priced sells for $695 and the highest can go for as much as $357,200.

Finding the Right Commodes-chests-of-drawers for You

Shopping for a commode or a chest of drawers?

Commode is the French term for a low chest of drawers, but it is also sometimes used to denote any case piece with a particularly intricate design. The commode dates to circa 1700 France, where it was used as an alternative to a taller cabinet piece so as to not obscure paneled, mirrored or tapestried walls. Coffers, or chests, which were large wooden boxes with hinged lids and sometimes stood on ball feet, preceded chests of drawers, a fashionable cabinet furnishing that garnered acclaim for its obvious storage potential and versatility. The term commode was also used to refer to a piece of bedroom furniture — a washstand or nightstand that contained a chamber pot.

As time passed, French and British furniture makers led the way in the production of chests of drawers, and features like the integration of bronze and ornamental pulls became commonplace. Antique French commodes in the Louis XV style were sometimes crafted in mahogany or walnut, while an Italian marble top added a sophisticated decorative flourish. This specific type of case piece grew in popularity in the years that followed.

So, what makes a chest of drawers different from a common dresser? Dressers are short, and chests of drawers are overall taller pieces of furniture that typically do not have room on the top for a mirror as most dressers do. Tallboys and highboys are variations of the dresser form. Some chests of drawers have one column of four to six long drawers or three long drawers in their bottom section that are topped by a cluster of small side-by-side drawers on the top. To further complicate things, we sometimes refer to particularly short chests of drawers as nightstands.

Even though chests of drawers are commonly thought of as bedroom furniture to store clothing, these are adaptable pieces. A chest of drawers can house important documents — think of your walnut Art Deco commode as an upgrade to your filing cabinet. Nestle your chest near your home’s front door to store coats and other outerwear, while the top can be a place to drop your handbag. Add some flair to your kitchen, where this lovable case piece can hold pots, pans and even cookbooks.

When shopping for the right chest of drawers for your home, there are a few key things to consider: What will you be storing in it? How big a chest will you need?

Speaking of size, don’t dream too big. If your space is on the smaller side, a more streamlined vintage mid-century modern chest of drawers, perhaps one designed by Paul McCobb or T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, may best suit your needs.

At 1stDibs, we make it easy to add style and storage to your home. Browse our collection of antique and vintage commodes and chests of drawers today.

Questions About Antique Bombe Chests

What is a bombe chest?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMay 22, 2019
A bombe chest is a set of drawers that bulges outward in the front and on the sides. The style, whose name comes from French word bombé, meaning “curved,” originated in 17th-century France.
How much does a bombe chest cost?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertMay 23, 2019
A bombe chest cost depends on its size, age, designer, location, condition and other factors. If the piece is in relatively good condition, it may cost anywhere between $300 and $3,000.
How can you tell if a chest is antique?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertSeptember 9, 2024
To tell if a chest is antique, first examine its materials and details carefully. An antique chest is one produced 100 years ago or more. This generally predates the use of engineered wood, particleboard, plastics and other synthetic materials. As a result, an antique chest usually features solid wood construction.

In addition, antique chests are likely to be handmade, so you should be able to spot subtle signs that indicate this, such as tool marks and small irregularities in any carvings. If a piece looks flawless and regular, it is unlikely to be antique. Locating a maker's mark and then researching when the manufacturer was active can also help you date your chest. Alternatively, you can use the services of a certified appraiser or knowledgeable antique dealer to learn more about your chest.

On 1stDibs, shop a large selection of antique chests.
How do I identify an antique chest of drawers?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertNovember 4, 2024
To identify an antique chest of drawers, look inside and beneath drawers and on the back and bottom for any type of maker's marking. Researching these marks using trusted online resources may allow you to determine who produced your chest and roughly date your piece. If your chest is at least 100 years old, it is an antique. Should you be unable to locate the maker's marks, look at the hardware. Rose head nails, one-piece cast brass pommels on the drawer handles and circular rather than hexagonal bolts may all indicate that a piece is an antique. Keep in mind that hardware may have been replaced at some point and that there are many reproductions of antique furnishings. As a result, you may wish to have a certified appraiser or experienced antique dealer complete the identification process if you're unable to identify your chest via the maker's markings. Find a range of antique chests of drawers on 1stDibs.

37 Cheerful Home Bars, Where Everybody (Literally) Knows Your Name

Simple or sophisticated, equipped with console, cart or custom cabinetry, these stylish bar areas deserve a toast.

The Ultimate Guide to Types of Tables for the Home

Whether you’re just moving in or ready to give your home a makeover, our guide will give you pointers on tables that are fitting for every room, nook and hallway.

What Exactly Is a Secretary Desk, and What Is It Used For?

The furniture equivalent of a Swiss Army knife, it's the multifunctional piece you didn't know you needed.

This Shelving System with Oxidized Brass Tubes Is Retro and Futuristic at Once

Italian studio DimoreMilano mustered great ingenuity when crafting these sculptural shelves, which are built without any screws.

Ask an Interior Designer: Work-from-Home Edition

Leaping into a design project, whether it's refreshing the bedroom or redoing the whole house, can be overwhelming. Luckily, we know more than a few interior designers. You asked questions on Instagram, and now they're answering.

Collected and Eclectic, ‘Wunderkammern’ Are Back in a Big Way

Introduced nearly 500 years ago, curiosity cabinets are finding new fans among today's collectors and designers.

Meet the Incredible Woman Transforming Fallen Trees into Sleek Furniture

In the hands of New York Heartwoods cofounder Megan Offner, unwanted local trees become works of design art.

These New York Architects Love a Complicated Project

From Brooklyn townhouses to Maine campgrounds, Trattie Davies and Jonathan Toews relish a challenge, like transforming a former warehouse space into the new 1stdibs Gallery.