Cherry Collectibles and Curiosities

A charming 19th century French Provincial prie-dieu/chair of carved cherry wood and handwoven rush seating, having lovely, scalloped details. The top chair seat pulls up in order to ...

PRESENTING a FANTASTIC and HISTORIC Early 19C American Hepplewhite Virginian Secretary Chest with OUTSTANDING Provenance. This Secretary Chest was made in Virginia in the Early 19th Century, circa 1810. It is made of cherry, walnut and maple and is most definitely in the Hepplewhite Style of the period, with it’s original Hepplewhite brass drawer pulls. IT IS A REALLY INTRIGUING AND HISTORIC PIECE, ESPECIALLY, WHEN VIEWED IN CONTEXT WITH IT”S AMAZING PROVENANCE! This piece was originally owned by Major William Alexander Obenchain who ‘hailed’ from the State of Virginia. He was an engineer and was in the Virginia Corps of Engineers during the Civil War and served on General Robert E. Lee’s staff. It was acquired by him before the Civil War and we believe that this piece was on campaign with him during the War. We know for a fact that he fought at the Richmond Campaign in 1864, as we have, in our Collection, his original Field Map for that Campaign which ended the War. It has remained in family ownership ever since. It has come directly from the Family Estate, together with other VERY IMPORTANT items belonging to Major Obenchain and other IMPORTANT items that belonged to his wife, Eliza Calvert Hall-Obenchain. ALL these items contained in the Collection, are listed/posted individually on our Website. The top drawer is on retractable curved side hinge supports and pulls outwards and drops to reveal a secretary and writing area. The Bureau/Secretary Gallery has 6 drawers and 6 cubbies, a central tabernacle door with another drawer and 2 cubbies and this is flanked by 2 secret pull out compartments. The central tabernacle door has it’s original key and working lock. Closed, it is almost ‘flush’ like the rest of the drawers, with some very minor bowing through age. The 3 drawers underneath are graduated in size and it ends with a serpentine shaped base and sits on four hand carved legs with original metal casters, marked ‘Universal 3’. It has it’s original brasses and hardware throughout, save the addition to 2 contemporary replacement brass hinges to the drop down desk front, as the original hinges were broken, could not be repaired and were not supporting the weight of the drop down leaf. Some minor repairs but not noticeable. Otherwise, the piece is in it’s entirely, ORIGINAL condition! What makes this piece even MORE INTRIGUING and APPEALING HISTORICALLY, are the 2 ‘historic’ circular holes on the piece:- (1) in the back of the piece as seen in the photos. This hole is not symmetrical or fully round and appears to serve no purpose to the piece whatsoever. Sometimes, pieces have holes for wiring for lighting, put in them over the years, but this one never had such lighting or, indeed, any such explanation for this hole, AND (2) the rear hole is replicated, in the corner portion of the bottom drawer and someone (a very long time ago) has used a tin can top, to cover the hole in the back of the drawer. The tin can top is period to the Civil War Era and is embossed “Minimum Volume 1 Pint”. Our conclusion, is that (whilst we are, by no means ballistic experts) that these holes were created by musket balls, fired during one of the Major’s campaigns in the Civil War. It is entirely conceivable that this piece, being strapped into a covered wagon for carriage, would have been on it’s side. We are of the opinion that both holes, were caused or created by a musket ball entered the chest trough the base and back. We also believe that ‘the Major’, used what he had at his disposal on the battlefield, namely, a tin can lid to repair the hole in the drawer. SO THIS PIECE IS A VERY SPECIAL PIECE OF US HISTORY, INDEED! NOT ONLY IS IT AN EARLY 19th CENTURY AMERICAN PIECE, WITH A CONNECTION TO THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, THE CIVIL WAR, HISTORIC & IMPORTANT FIGURES IN THAT WAR AND IMPECCABLE PROVENANCE AND HISTORY! IT IS TRULY UNIQUE! William Alexander Obenchain. Born April 27, 1841 at Buchanan, Botetourt Co., Virginia. Parents: Thomas Jefferson Obenchain and Elizabeth Ann Sweetland. Entered VMI on July 18, 1859 as a member of the VMI (Virginia Military Institute...

A late 19th century French miniature faux bamboo marble top doll furniture wash stand with pivoting vanity mirror. Made of pitch pine and cherry wood with a small drawer, towel bars ...

Representational scale model drop-leaf table. Plank construction on hinges, turned legs. with plywood crossmembers, in cherrywood finish. One plywood crossmember is missing.

Early Mounted Half Block Ship Model of a 1936s America's Cup Sloop This half block miniature boat model is dedicated to Joe and has quiet the provenanc...

A lovely early French Football table, in unrestored condition. This table is a rare find, a truly lovely piece that would look fantastic in eithe...

19th c., American, four drawer miniature chest with Sheraton style pulls, on scalloped blocked feet. This attractive salesman sample is characterful with a lovely deep aged cherry co...

Collector's Edition Book measures: 18.4 x 27.6 in. Total weight: 130 lb. The Collector’s Edition is limited to 2,500 copies (No. 501-3,000), numbered and signed by Sebastião Salg...

Large Gliedermann drawing mannequin in cherry wood. Italy c. 1950. A Gliedermann is a wooden jointed mannequin, useful tool for learning to draw the human figure. Used by artists s...

Restored, 1907 Ibach Model 2 grand piano with a cherry case in a checkerboard design and inlaid, contrasting squares on the piano lid. Piano music desk is in an openwork dual criss-cross design. Piano has gate legs with four contrasting black spindles. Piano one of two designed for and offered to Richard Strauss by Ibach. Ibach made two pianos almost identical in this design except, the other #56279 had low, square piano cheeks. Richard Strauss chose that one as he intended the piano for his home where he hosted concerts and wanted his audience to be able to see his hands. This piano remained in the possession of Ibach and was used in exhibitions for promotional purposes. This piano was designed by Emanuel von Seidl, a German architect, interior designer and engineer. Between 1900 and 1918, Seidl was a successful villa architect and was known far beyond the borders of his hometown of Munich. Probably his most important private houses include that of Richard Strauss with its generously glazed bay window and view of the Alps, and the country estate Schloss Wolfsbrunn built for the mining entrepreneur Georg Wolf.

This Louis-Philippe period table lectern in cherrywood resting on four turned legs, has three positions for three different reading angles. France, circa 1840.

An embrace with the art of high fidelity sound. Aesthetically inspired, acoustically driven state-of-the-art audio equipment, unlike anything else on ear...