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Reverse Serpentine Chest

Handsome German Baroque Style Reverse-Serpentine Parquetry 3-Drawer Chest
Handsome German Baroque Style Reverse-Serpentine Parquetry 3-Drawer Chest

Handsome German Baroque Style Reverse-Serpentine Parquetry 3-Drawer Chest

Located in San Francisco, CA

The reverse-serpentine top above a conforming body fitted with 3 drawers all in a warmly-colored parquetry inlaid veneer.

Category

Antique 1880s German Baroque Revival Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Wood

American Chippendale Birchwood Serpentine Chest of Drawers, circa 1770
American Chippendale Birchwood Serpentine Chest of Drawers, circa 1770

American Chippendale Birchwood Serpentine Chest of Drawers, circa 1770

Located in Shippensburg, PA

A very fine reverse-serpentine (also known as "Oxbow") chest of drawers from the Chippendale period, it is a product of the North Shore of Massachusetts circa 1780 and probably origi...

Category

Antique 18th Century American Chippendale Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Brass

Recent Sales

Diminutive Massachusetts Chippendale Reverse Serpentine Chest of Drawers
Diminutive Massachusetts Chippendale Reverse Serpentine Chest of Drawers

Diminutive Massachusetts Chippendale Reverse Serpentine Chest of Drawers

Located in Woodbury, CT

Chippendale maple and birch reverse serpentine chest of drawers of small size, the shaped top with thumb molded edge above the case with four graduated drawers, the molded base with ...

Category

Antique 1790s American Chippendale Dressers

Materials

Birch, Maple

Connecticut Chippendale Reverse Serpentine Chest
Connecticut Chippendale Reverse Serpentine Chest

Connecticut Chippendale Reverse Serpentine Chest

Located in Norwalk, CT

Connecticut Cherry Chippendale reverse serpentine chest with fluted quarter columns, shaped bracket feet and a central fan carved pendant.

Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier American Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Cherry

Burled Walnut Reverse Serpentine Chest
Burled Walnut Reverse Serpentine Chest

Burled Walnut Reverse Serpentine Chest

Located in Southampton, NY

Burled Walnut Chest, reverse serpentine front, very stylish

Category

English Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Walnut

18th Century Massachusetts Chippendale Chest of Drawers
18th Century Massachusetts Chippendale Chest of Drawers

18th Century Massachusetts Chippendale Chest of Drawers

Located in Essex, MA

A Chippendale mahogany reverse serpentine chest of drawers, Massachusetts, late 18th century, the molded top on a case of four cockbeaded graduated drawers on ogee bracket feet on pl...

Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier American Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Brass

American 18th Century Reverse Serpentine Mahogany Chest of Drawers
American 18th Century Reverse Serpentine Mahogany Chest of Drawers

American 18th Century Reverse Serpentine Mahogany Chest of Drawers

Located in Great Barrington, MA

A very fine quality Massachusetts four drawer carved and inlaid mahogany bureau, ca. 1780. The top has three bold lines of inlay on the edge and is shaped to conform with the reverse...

Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier American Rococo Commodes and Chests of ...

Materials

Brass, Iron

American Federal Chippendale Cherry Chest of Drawers Reverse Serpentine Form
American Federal Chippendale Cherry Chest of Drawers Reverse Serpentine Form

American Federal Chippendale Cherry Chest of Drawers Reverse Serpentine Form

Located in Wells, ME

American Federal period reverse serpentine (oxbow) Chippendale solid cherry chest of four graduated drawers.

Category

Antique 18th Century American Chippendale Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Cherry

Serpentine Sheraton Chest
Serpentine Sheraton Chest

Serpentine Sheraton Chest

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H 42.5 in W 40.25 in D 22.75 in

Serpentine Sheraton Chest

Located in Atlanta, GA

Early 19th c. reverse Serpentine Sheraton Chest in Walnut and Ivory.

Category

Antique 19th Century English Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Walnut, Ivory

New York City Federal Reverse Serpentine Bureau
New York City Federal Reverse Serpentine Bureau

New York City Federal Reverse Serpentine Bureau

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H 38.5 in W 44 in D 22.75 in

New York City Federal Reverse Serpentine Bureau

Located in Woodbury, CT

Attributed to William Whitehead, master of the reverse serpentine form. A figured light mahogany chest of four graduated drawers raised on serpentine-conforming bracket feet, separa...

Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Poplar

Chippendale Graduated Four Drawer Chest
Chippendale Graduated Four Drawer Chest

Chippendale Graduated Four Drawer Chest

Located in Litchfield, CT

Chippendale Reverse Serpentine Graduated Four Drawer Chest, Litchfield County, ca. 1780-1790.

Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Cherry, Poplar

18th C American Cherry Wood Commode
18th C American Cherry Wood Commode

18th C American Cherry Wood Commode

Sold

H 33.5 in W 39.16 in D 20.5 in

18th C American Cherry Wood Commode

Located in Santa Rosa, CA

Great reverse serpentine American Chest of drawers in cherry.

Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier American Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Small Biedermeier Walnut Half Cabinet with Drawer, South Germany circa 1830
Small Biedermeier Walnut Half Cabinet with Drawer, South Germany circa 1830

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Small Biedermeier Walnut Half Cabinet with Drawer, South Germany circa 1830

Located in Darmstadt, DE

Elegant small Biedermeier half cabinet from Southern Germany, circa 1830. The charming piece is veneered in richly grained walnut on a solid spruce body, displaying the warm tones an...

Category

Antique 19th Century German Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Mustard Velvet Daybed with V-Shaped Beechwood Base, Model V
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Mustard Velvet Daybed with V-Shaped Beechwood Base, Model V

$3,990 / item

H 15.75 in W 74.81 in D 29.14 in

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By Dusty Deco

Located in Los Angeles, CA

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New England Cherry Bowfront Chest with Graduating 4 Drawers, String Inlay
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Located in Atlanta, GA

New England Cherry Bowfront Chest with Graduating 4 Drawers, String Inlay and Ogee Feet, ca. 1790

Category

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Materials

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FIN Shade Ceramic Table Lamp, Hand Built, Green Satin Glaze, by Kalin Asenov
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By Kalin Asenov

Located in Savannah, GA

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George III Mahogany Chest of Drawers
George III Mahogany Chest of Drawers

George III Mahogany Chest of Drawers

$1,800

H 32 in W 39.75 in D 21 in

George III Mahogany Chest of Drawers

Located in Laguna Beach, CA

George III mahogany chest of drawers, circa 1780. With a rectangular single board top with thumb molded front and side borders, two top drawers and 3 graduated lower drawers all with...

Category

Antique 18th Century English George III Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Brass

Oval Brass and Parchment Chandelier by Diego Mardegan for Glustin Luminaires
Oval Brass and Parchment Chandelier by Diego Mardegan for Glustin Luminaires

Oval Brass and Parchment Chandelier by Diego Mardegan for Glustin Luminaires

By Diego Mardegan

Located in Saint-Ouen, IDF

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Italian Baroque Style Marble Top Console Table

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$4,800

H 38 in W 57.5 in D 22.75 in

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Located in Rio Vista, CA

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20th Century Italian Baroque Console Tables

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Small commode
Small commode

Small commode

$3,434

H 19.69 in W 23.23 in D 11.03 in

Small commode

Located in 'S-HERTOGENBOSCH, NL

Very decorative small marquetry commode, Italy, circa 1850. Inlaid with different woods such as mahogany and ebony. Bone has also been used. The lovely masterpiece is in a very good ...

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Antique 1850s Italian Neoclassical Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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Brass and Parchment Paper Chandelier by Diego Mardegan for Glustin Luminaires
Brass and Parchment Paper Chandelier by Diego Mardegan for Glustin Luminaires

Brass and Parchment Paper Chandelier by Diego Mardegan for Glustin Luminaires

By Diego Mardegan

Located in Saint-Ouen, IDF

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Old American Mahogany "New England Block Front" Chippendale Style Chest on Chest
Old American Mahogany "New England Block Front" Chippendale Style Chest on Chest

Old American Mahogany "New England Block Front" Chippendale Style Chest on Chest

Located in CHARLESTON, SC

Superb quality old American mahogany "New England Block Front" Chippendale style chest on chest, circa 1910-1915. Please note hand dove-tailed, oak- lined drawers and original "Willo...

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Materials

Mahogany

Pair of Queen Anne Mirrors
Pair of Queen Anne Mirrors

Pair of Queen Anne Mirrors

$3,510 / set

H 48 in W 24 in D 1.75 in

Pair of Queen Anne Mirrors

Located in Westwood, NJ

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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.

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