Yew Models and Miniatures

Typical form with bow back and pierced baluster splat, turned legs and crinoline stretcher.

A charming and rare 18th century Georgian yew wood miniature chest having four long drawers with original brass knobs raised on original shaped bracket feet. (There is often debate as to whether miniature furniture was made as an apprentice piece, which is when a craftsmen who is looking for a job at a workshop would create something to showcase their talents, or whether it was made as a travelling salesman's sample piece, which is when a few articles were made as scale models in advance of a road trip during which a salesman would travel the country showing prospective clients the kind of items they could produce back at the workshop and take orders from. This particular example doesn't really appear to quite fit either of those briefs however and may well have just been made as an individual, one off piece in a provincial workshop. One of the reasons for this is the construction from solid yewwood which is a rarely used material in items any larger than this as the trunks generally don't grow large enough. The overall quality is  excellent and clearly somebody has spent many, many hours  producing this wonderful piece. A really quite charming piece of antique miniature furniture...