French Louis XV Style Widdicomb Painted & Gilt Bombe Chest 20th C
View Similar Items
French Louis XV Style Widdicomb Painted & Gilt Bombe Chest 20th C
About the Item
- Creator:John Widdicomb (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 33.25 in (84.46 cm)Width: 50 in (127 cm)Depth: 22.5 in (57.15 cm)
- Style:Louis XV (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:20th Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Overall good condition, tight and sturdy with paint loss as photographed.
- Seller Location:Big Flats, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: 735291stDibs: LU2396328307072
John Widdicomb
In the Widdicomb family, furniture ran in the blood. Furniture maker George Widdicomb emigrated from England to the United States in 1845, eventually setting up a cabinet shop in Syracuse, New York, before moving west to Grand Rapids, Michigan. There, he opened a shop with his four sons, including John Widdicomb, whose name would help carry the family legacy into the 20th century.
A wealth of pine and oak forests rendered Grand Rapids a logging center during the 1800s, and it eventually gained recognition for its furniture industry. The city became a destination for furniture makers who hailed from across the United States and beyond. The Widdicomb shop in Grand Rapids prospered, as the patriarch’s formal English training allowed him to produce pieces with superior craftsmanship compared to those of his competitors. Although the Civil War halted business and took the life of one of the Widdicomb brothers, the family’s survivors would start anew as Widdicomb Brothers and Richards, soon renamed the Widdicomb Furniture Company.
John Widdicomb, however, split from the family business in 1897 to create the John Widdicomb Company, where he would go on to focus on Louis XV- and French Provincial-style furnishings. Chairs made in these styles have distinct characteristics, such as floral motifs carved in the frames and gently angled backrests. John's company also remained a family affair: The founder’s son, Harry, assumed control of the company when his father died in 1910, while John's nephew Ralph Widdicombe — who retained the English spelling of his last name and joined the John Widdicomb Company at its start — designed every single piece of the offerings at his uncle's manufacturing outfit until he retired in 1951. Ralph was an internationally distinguished furniture designer whose modern mahogany bedroom suite won first prize at the Paris Exposition in 1900.
The original iteration of Widdicomb, which was helmed by John's older brother William while John ran his own brand, had shifted from making period revival styles of furniture, such as Georgian and Chippendale, to manufacturing modern pieces in the late 1920s. Admirers of mid-century modern furnishings likely recognize Widdicomb for the partnerships with iconic designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings and Mario Buatta. In 1959, master woodworker George Nakashima created his Origins collection for Widdicomb when the firm merged with Mueller Furniture Corporation and was known, for around 10 years, as Widdicomb-Mueller. Origins, a revered Shaker-influenced group of nightstands, upholstered lounge chairs, dining-room tables and more, saw Nakashima working with woods like Carpathian elm and laurel in his Pennsylvania studio.
Eventually, the two Widdicomb companies would combine in 1970, operating under the name John Widdicomb Co.
In 2002, the business closed after more than a century of operations, and its assets were acquired by Stickley Furniture. Interestingly, it was not the first time Widdicomb and Stickley overlapped: In the final years of the 19th century, the companies opened a shared storehouse in London, while John Widdicomb and Albert Stickley would travel Europe together for the purposes of research.
Today, Stickley continues to produce John Widdicomb Company furniture, including French, Italian, English and Russian reproductions, as well as modern works from the first half of the 20th century.
Find vintage John Widdicomb bedroom furniture, tables, case pieces and more on 1stDibs.
- American Heritage Queen Anne Style Mahogany Chest On Chest by Hickory 20th CBy Hickory Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Big Flats, NYA Queen Anne style chest on chest of the American Heritage line by Hickory offers mahogany construction with broken arch crest having central carved flame finial over case have carve...Category
20th Century American Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMahogany
$2,120 Sale Price20% Off - Antique French Louis XV Style Faux Painted Cameo Demilune Console Table, 20th CLocated in Big Flats, NYAn antique French Louis XV style console cabinet offers demilune form with painted faux marble top over case with single door having cameo of a woman and opening to shelved interior,...Category
20th Century French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMetal
$1,320 Sale Price20% Off - French Provincial Style Polychrome, Gilt &Marble Commode by Kozak Studios 20th CLocated in Big Flats, NYA vintage French Provincial style commode by Kosak Studios offers shaped and beveled marble top over paint decorated case with single drawer over double lattice door cabinet...Category
20th Century American French Provincial Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMarble
$1,160 Sale Price20% Off - French Louis XIV Style Kingwood, Satinwood Marquetry, Marble & Ormolu, 20th CLocated in Big Flats, NYA French Louis XIV style commode offers kingwood construction in bombe form with marble top over case having two drawers with satinwood marquet...Category
20th Century Louis XIV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMarble, Ormolu
$1,320 Sale Price20% Off - English Chippendale Style Block Front Chest, Bartley Collection, 20th CLocated in Big Flats, NYAn English Chippendale style chest of drawers of the Williamsburg Bartley Collection offers shaped top over graduated long drawers and raised on bracket feet, maker mark as photograp...Category
20th Century American Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWood
$1,160 Sale Price20% Off - English Chippendale Style Block Front Chest, Bartley Collection, 20th CLocated in Big Flats, NYAn English Chippendale style chest of drawers attributed to the Williamsburg Bartley Collection offers shaped top over graduated long drawers and raised on bracket feet, maker mark a...Category
20th Century American Chippendale Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWood
$1,160 Sale Price20% Off
- Antique French Louis XV Style Bombe Chest of DrawersBy Charles CressentLocated in Forney, TXA stunning French Louis XV bombe marble-top chest of drawers commode from the 19th century, styled in the manner of Charles Cressent (France, 1685–1768), finished in luxurious Rocco ...Category
Antique 19th Century Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMarble, Bronze, Ormolu
- 20th Century French Louis XV Style Inlay Wood Chest of DrawersLocated in Casale Monferrato, ITLouis XV style furniture, 1930s. The fine rosewood inlaid wood. Refined and rich inlay work of floral taste on each side of the piece of furniture. Particular rounded shape. On the f...Category
Vintage 1930s French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBronze
- French 19th-20th Century Louis XV Style Gilt-Bronze Mounted Marquetry CommodeLocated in Los Angeles, CAA fine French 19th-20th century Louis XV style gilt bronze mounted satinwood and tulipwood Bois Satiné and Bois de Bout floral Marquetry two-drawer commode of bombé serpentine form, ...Category
Antique Early 1900s French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMarble, Ormolu, Bronze
$12,450 Sale Price37% Off - French 19th-20th Century Louis XV Style Stainwood & Gilt-Bronze Mounted CommodeLocated in Los Angeles, CAA French 19th-20th century Louis XV style blonde-stainwood and gilt bronze-mounted two-drawer commode with marble top, Paris, circa 1900. Measures: Height 33 1/8 inches (84.1 cm) ...Category
Antique Early 1900s French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBronze
$8,450 Sale Price32% Off - French 19th/20th Century Louis XV Style Gilt-Bronze Mounted Commode Marble TopLocated in Los Angeles, CAA French 19th/20th Century Louis XV Style Gilt-Bronze Mounted Kingwood, Amaranth, Satinwood and Tulipwood Bois Satiné and Bois de Bout Floral Marquetry Two-Drawer Commode of bombé serpentine...Category
Antique Early 1900s French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMarble, Bronze, Ormolu
- French, 19th-20th Century Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze and Marquetry Petit CommodeLocated in Los Angeles, CAA fine French 19th-20th century Louis XV style tulipwood floral marquetry and gilt bronze mounted two drawer bombé petit commode. The serpentine shaped commode with two front drawers...Category
Antique Early 1900s French Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMarble, Bronze
$8,950 Sale Price28% Off