17th Century William & Mary Inlaid Walnut Chest on Stand

17th century William and Mary burr walnut cabinet on chest, circa 1690. England. Concealing two secret compartments. The Cabinet The cross-grain cornice...

Featured is an extremely rare 17th century Dutch William & Mary Chinoiserie style coffer trunk on stand. This gorgeous piece was constructed of oak in the traditional William and Mary style. The trunk is japanned with red lacquer and was hand painted with Chinoiserie scenes of life in China. There are two iron straps that mount the top to the case. There is also one iron lock, although the key is absent the latch closes and holds the top securely in place. The lacquer is 90% complete with only small losses around the edges and in various places. The top has been reinforced with oak straps underneath to prevent the jointed board from moving. The lacquer has a warm patina throughout and shows very well. The lower stand is fitted with a pair of drawers that are also japanned and hand-painted with Chinoiserie scenes on the drawer fronts. Both drawers are fitted with Dutch style brass tear drop pulls. The stand itself is built of oak with turned legs that are pinned together with traditionally carved Jacobean Influenced leg stretchers on both the right and left sides as well as one main lower center stretcher. If you are looking for a very rare and well preserved piece this is the one. This item was almost surely on a Dutch East India Trading company...