Chinese Art Deco Carved Camphor, Lacquer and Cedar Trunk Chest

Handsome Art Deco chest of drawers. Original painted finish and golden elm top. Detailed with brass pulls, decorative centerpiece and uniquely shaped legs.

Rare sideboard attributed to Eliel Saarinen (father of Eero Saarinen) designed before his immigration to the United States. In a style that we now refer to as "Art Deco," this style was considered the "National Romantic Style" in Finland essentially a twist on what became known worldwide as Art Deco with its strong vertical lines and medieval references. The workmanship of this cabinet and its materials is magnificent. Note the carefully matched panels of golden masurbjork (birch root), the intricate carvings of medieval knights (very similar to those guarding Saarinen's Helsinki Railway Station built in 1906) and the high contrast of golden and dark birch wood seen again in Saarinen's furniture designed in the United States in the late 1920s. While Saarinen's son Eero went on to become the more famous of the two, it was Eliel who could be considered the grandfather of Nordic Art Deco...

The chest has dark reddish brown lacquered wood on the outside and the inside is lined with tan imitation leather material. There are three brass latches, one large one in front and a smaller one on each side next to iron handles. The sides are edged with thin sheets of overlapping lacquered wood having imitation stitching. The lid is attached to the bottom with three brass hinges. There is a small rectangle of Chinese lettering on the inside of the lid. Red Chinese Trunk.

A very good antique Scandinavian carved Baroque Folk Art dowry chest, Circa 1780. The chest having a gently domed top with a hinged lid having the original 'snipe' hinges, the edge ...