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Early 19th Century Danish Empire Chest of Drawers with Marquetry, circa 1820

About the Item

Small antique chest of drawers Denmark Mahogany, maple Bourgeois Empire circa 1820 Dimensions: H x W x D: 82 x 74 x 47 cm Description: Small antique chest of drawers from the Danish Empire or Biedermeier period around 1820. The three drawers are of different heights and the fronts are of different widths. Characteristic is the round arch on the centre drawer and the light marquetry on a dark background. Depicted are scenes from Greek mythology, finely engraved on maple and rubbed out with dark wax. An interesting detail is the lock on the lower drawer, which unusually locks downwards. Worth mentioning and absolutely typical of the region is the plinth section, which was made as a separate component and then attached to the body of the furniture with the help of small blocks. The semi-circular cut-out front frame is emphasised with light-coloured thread inlays and contributes significantly to the design of the piece of furniture. It is also typical of the region that the chest of drawers itself is made of softwood, while the drawers are made of oak. Worth knowing: In the early 19th century, a furniture style developed in Denmark - at the same time as the Biedermeier period in Germany - that is now known as Bourgeois Empire. With German, French and English influences, this bourgeois style manifested itself widely and was not just a watered-down copy of the style and formal language of princely and aristocratic taste. The early Bourgeois Empire in particular is characterized by a relatively homogeneous formal language, so that one can almost speak of a furniture production in the large Copenhagen workshops that anticipates industrialization, which, however, did not begin in Denmark until the second half of the 19th century. Nevertheless, it is also a characteristic feature of furniture in this style that exact copies of a single piece are rarely produced. Even furniture from one and the same workshop almost always shows minor or major changes from commission to commission. For example, although the marquetry is almost always in the old Greek style and of the same quality (engraved maple on a mahogany ground), we hardly ever find the same motif in the antiques trade today. Condition: Restored ready to use condition with very nice preservation of the engravings. The white haze that appears on the lower drawer in some pictures is not real, but is due to the reflections in the photo studio. A very similar chest of drawers, in the same form and type of wood, also with a Greek motif in the arch segmentation and with very similar keyhole marquetry on the upper drawer, is on display at the Museum of National History in Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød/Denmark. Please compare the following specialised literature: Mirjam Gelfer-Jørgensen - The Dream of a golden Age - Danish Neo-Classical Furniture 1790-1850 from p. 362 Heidrun Zinnkann - Biedermeier Möbel Europas 1815-1835 p. 208
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 32.29 in (82 cm)Width: 29.14 in (74 cm)Depth: 18.51 in (47 cm)
  • Style:
    Empire (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Mahogany,Maple,Marquetry
  • Place of Origin:
    Denmark
  • Period:
    1810-1819
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1810-1820
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Restored ready to use condition with very nice preservation of the engravings.
  • Seller Location:
    Greven, DE
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU5419244836002

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