Antique Lacquered Gilded Bookcase, Carved Columns & Friezes, 19th Century Italy

Antique pharmacy in walnut with drawers, raised a day, Swiss origin, second half of the 19th century, composed of a corner unit and a small piece of furniture. Pharmacy in perfect c...

Large and antique bookcase in solid poplar wood, patinated and carved with columns and cherubs, very roomy and solid, with a beautiful scenic presence and great historical value, ele...

Antique golden mirror, richly carved by hand with beautiful details in the frame, rectangular in shape but with oval mirror, from the 19th centur...

Antique hand-carved mirror, richly full of frills in gilded and lacquered wood, built in the 19th century in Italy, with central shell and arrang...

A handsome and very well crafted English break-front bookcase or bibliotheque in solid mahogany by S.E. & R. Johnson of Warrington, England, circa 1870. Features six doors with glass panels in the upper section over a base with ten drawers on each side, flanking a middle section consisting of three doors with wooden panels. There are two adjustable shelves in each of the three upper sections, with a total of ten interior drawers. Original tear-drop pulls on doors turn to release a lever allowing the doors to be opened with the pulls as well as locked, a most unusual and attractive feature. All of the hardware is original to the bookcase including the locks. Comes with working locks and keys. Measurements: 13' 8 1/2" long x 21 1/2" - 27 1/2" deep x 101" high (8'5" high) All of the drawers are stamped with the cabinetmaker's stamp, "S.E. & R. (Ralph) Johnson, Warrington". This fine bookcase was manufactured prior to 1880 in Warrington in Cheshire, England. While information is scant, it would seem that S. E. would have been Ralph's father's workshop listed at 78 Bridge Street in Warrington, England, circa 1878. Ralph would have likely been an apprentice at that time. He opened his own workshop, presumably when his father retired. By the Edwardian period, Ralph had become a cabinet maker of some renown. Drawer locks are original and stamped "Chance Son & Co. W Chance, Son, & Co" and are listed in the 1850s directories as "Merchants and Factors" in Birmingham, England. They would have been middlemen having various merchandise made for them, primarily for export to North America. The type of locks employed in this bookcase is a lever combination lock. In the cabinet lock trade, lever locks became available circa 1855 and superseded the earlier tumbler and back-spring locks. Some points about the breakfront to note are that it is made entirely out of solid mahogany which is unusual; there are no veneers. Even the drawer sides, backs and bottoms are made of mahogany. The interior wood, i.e., the back and the insides of the cabinet is pine. One of the great features is that the upper door hardware has a dead latch that operates with the tear drop pull. You can lock the doors, but if you don't want to lock them, you can use the tear drop pull to operate the dead latch to open and close by turning it to the right. There are 20 exterior drawers and 8 interior drawers. Lower cabinets each have 1 fixed shelf; upper cabinets have 2 adjustable shelves each. There are enough extra original cast iron shelf...

19th Century Lacquered Bamboo Cabinet. Circa 1870. Inspired by traditional Japanese Art.

This is an extremely handsome, well-carved secretary bookcase in fine condition. It will not fail to please.

19th century oak hand-carved bookcase from France. The top is banded and has a beveled and hand carved edge, following down to paneled sides and a sin...