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Place of Origin: French
19th Century Painted and Gilded Petit Commode
Located in New Orleans, LA
Beautifully painted and gilded petit commode.
Category
19th Century Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Giltwood
18th Century Country French Painted Commode
Located in Dallas, TX
18th century Country French painted Commode features subtle rococo styling cues with the molded detail and the contoured apron with scrolled legs, but they are so subtle that this re...
Category
1770s French Provincial Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Brass
Art Deco French Side Table/ Chest of Drawers
Located in Houston, TX
Side table is made out of palisander wood. Has 3 spacious drawers with rectangular chrome handles. Elevated by 4 slim legs that have chrome decorative elements on the bottom.
Condit...
Category
1930s Art Deco Vintage French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Chrome
Period Neoclassic French Commode w/a Gorgeous New Custom Grey Marble Top
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Neoclassical period carved wood commode, with stunning new custom marble top, from the early 19th century. This antique chest from France ...
Category
Early 19th Century Neoclassical Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble
Pair French Style Robust 2-Drawer Chests in White & Gold
Located in Atlanta, GA
A pair of nicely-sized, French style two-drawer raised commodes in white with gold accents. These vintage chests were made in America, with design inspired by French Neoclassical sty...
Category
20th Century French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Wood
Michel Dufet Cabinet
By Michel Dufet
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Cabinet by Michel Dufet.
Category
Early 20th Century French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Ormolu
$42,500
Regence period Walnut Provencal "Linen-fold" Commode, c. 1720
Located in Atlanta, GA
An unusual Louis XV period commode on raised cabriole legs, and with a solid Walnut front in serpentine 'linen-fold' design. Dating from the mid-1700s, and Provencal French in origin...
Category
Early 18th Century Régence Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Brass
Antique Country French Commode ~ Chest of Drawers
Located in Dallas, TX
Antique Country French Commode ~ Chest of Drawers represents a nice departure from dark-stained woods, having been finished with a natural look that has achieved a lovely patina over...
Category
Late 19th Century French Provincial Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Brass
French Commode w/Nice Hardware & Carved Accent Trimmings
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French carved and bleached oak commode from the 19th century. This antique chest from France has a rectangular-shaped top, with Neoclassical case which houses three full-sized draw...
Category
19th Century Neoclassical Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Oak
18th C. French Serpentine Commode w/Spectacular Brass Hardware
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French painted wood serpentine commode, with gorgeous brass hardware, from the 18th century. This antique chest from France has a very softly curved serpentine design at front, whi...
Category
18th Century Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Wood
Pair of 20th Century French Ebonised Commodes
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
Pair of 20th Century French XV style commodes with stunning marble tops and good ormolu mounts.
Category
20th Century French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Wood
$9,471 / set
19th Century French Empire Commode
Located in Madrid, ES
XIX Century Empire Commode
19th CENTURY EMPIRE CHEST. LARGE FRENCH EMPIRE CHEST IN MAHOGANY AND DECORATED WITH GOLDEN BRONZE.130X59X89 CM
Category
19th Century Empire Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Mahogany
$3,557 Sale Price
20% Off
Mid-18th Century French Louis XV Walnut Commode with 2 Drawers, Cabriole Legs, &
Located in Atlanta, GA
Mid-18th Century French Louis XV Walnut Commode with 2 drawers, Cabriole Legs, & Hoof Feet.
Category
Mid-18th Century Louis XV Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Walnut
2-drawer coffee table in cherry, a French Directoire Style interpretation
Located in Landivy, FR
This coffee table with 2 independent drawer belongs to our MELANIE collection that proposes handcraft modernized reinterpretated pieces of furniture from the French Directoire style ...
Category
2010s Neoclassical French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Wood, Cherry, Oak
French Louis XV Style Bombe Painted Commode
Located in Dallas, TX
Exquisite French Louis XV style bombe hand painted commode. The piece is painted in a black lacquer along with a beautiful floral design. An amazing work of art!
Category
Early 20th Century Louis XV French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Wood
$4,640 Sale Price
52% Off
French 19th Century Louis XVI Style Mahogany Commode
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A most elegant French 19th century Louis XVI st. Moucheté Mahogany, ormolu, and Gris St. Anne marble commode. The three drawer chest is raised by beautiful topie shaped legs with fin...
Category
19th Century Louis XVI Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble, Ormolu
Fine 18th Century French Curved Commode in Walnut Louis XV
Located in Brussels, Brussels
Very beautiful mid 18 century commode in walnut with 3 drawers
This fine Louis XV commode has an elegant curved shape and a beautiful original t...
Category
Mid-18th Century Louis XV Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Walnut
Antique French Louis XVI Mahogany Commode with Carrara Marble
Located in Dallas, TX
Antique French Louis XVI Mahogany Commode with Carrara Marble will make an elegant addition to any decor! Crafted from exotic imported mahogany, it features a tailored neoclassical ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Louis XVI French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Carrara Marble, Brass
18th Century French Louis XV Walnut Inlay Bombe Chest of Drawers with Marble Top
Located in Dallas, TX
Crafted in Burgundy France circa 1750, the antique fruitwood commode stands on curved feet ending with bronze mounts over a he scalloped apro...
Category
Mid-18th Century Louis XV Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Small Commode
Located in London, England
Small sized French mahogany commode with black marble top.
Circa 1880.
H 86cm x W 107cm x D 50cm
Category
1880s Empire Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Mahogany
$1,968
A Marquetry and Gilt-Bronze Commode by Emmanuel Zwiener
By Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Very Fine Marble Top Marquetry and Gilt-Bronze Commode by Emmanuel Zwiener.
The keyhole escutcheon stamped with the ‘ZN’ mark from the bronze master model. The back of the bronze...
Category
19th Century Louis XV Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble, Ormolu
Antique small chest of drawers with a marble top, France.
Located in Chorzów, PL
A small French-style chiffonier chest of drawers from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries is a charming piece of furniture combining elegance and functionality. The chest of draw...
Category
Early 20th Century Louis Philippe French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble, Brass
19th Century Louis XVI Style Marquetry Commode in the Manner of Riesener
By Jean-Henri Riesener
Located in London, GB
A very fine Louis XVI style gilt-bronze mounted marquetry commode
After the design by Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806)
After a model by Jean-Henri Riesener, supplied to Princess Adélaïde for Versailles. Constructed from amaranth with veneered tulipwood "en semelle" and dressed with a profusion of finely cast & hand-chased ormolu mounts, with a Sarrancolin marble platform, atop a breakfront frieze, set with three drawers, over a unified central panel divided in two drawers depicting a 'bois de bout' marquetry floral still life within a gilt-bronze frame, flanked by panels of quarter-cut tulipwood with ormolu handles suspended from lover's knot bows, with conforming matched panels to the concave sides. The apron is mounted with a finely cast central scroll, and the canted corners dressed with cascading ormolu foliate mounts terminating in lion's paw feet.
French, circa 1910
Madame Adélaïde's commode
The design for this commode was one of the earliest royal commissions awarded to Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806), the master craftsman who was later appointed cabinetmaker to Louis XVI and his court in 1774. The commode, with its architectural features, extensive ormolu mounts and immaculate marquetry work, was ordered in 1776 and delivered that same year for Madame Adélaïde (1732-1800), the daughter of king Louis XV and Marie Leszczynska. The commode was later moved to château de Bellevue when it was given to her by king Louis XVI.
The famous commode was later part of the Earl of Carnarvon's collection, who also bought furniture made for Napoleon. Carnarvon's wife, Lady Elmina Wombwell, was the child of Alfred de Rotschild, which may explain the post-revolutionary history of the royal commode. In 2018, the Riesener commode was bought for the nation for the sum of 3.5m€ and returned to Versailles.
Category
Early 20th Century Louis XVI French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble, Ormolu
Barber Piece Empire Period Early 19th Century
Located in Brussels, Brussels
Elegant barber furniture in solid mahogany and mahogany veneer from the early 19th century Empire period
Very beautiful barbière composed of 5 drawers. interior of the drawers in oa...
Category
Early 19th Century Empire Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Mahogany
Antique Country French Painted Commode
Located in Dallas, TX
Antique Country French painted commode features a graceful appearance enhanced with subtle scrollwork from the carved ornamentation on t...
Category
Early 20th Century Louis XV French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Brass
French Regence "Linen-Fold" Commode, 18th Century
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Regence period beautifully-carved walnut chest of drawers, with its original hardware, from the 18th century. This gorgeous antique commode from France has been exquisitely ...
Category
18th Century Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Walnut
Michel Pigneres Chest/Sideboard
By Michel Pigneres
Located in West Palm Beach, US
Nice sideboard by Michel Pigneres, The finish is original lacquered wood. Deep maroon color. The metal is silver with patina. There are some small scratches on the surface as to be ...
Category
20th Century Mid-Century Modern French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Wood
$6,860 Sale Price
30% Off
Early 19 Century French Chest Of Drawers In Walnut
Located in Brussels, Brussels
Very beautiful chest of drawers from the restoration period (between empire and Charles X circa 1815) in walnut
model called crosses from the beginning of the 19th century
Elegant c...
Category
19th Century Restauration Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Walnut
André SORNAY (1902-2000), varnished plywood chest of drawers
By Andre Sornay
Located in Paris, FR
André Sornay (1902-2000) was a French furniture designer who transformed his family's business after taking over in 1919. Influenced by Bauhaus and De Stijl, he created modern, funct...
Category
1930s Art Deco Vintage French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Brass
French Louis XVI Style Console Marble Top, Brass & Bronze
Located in Senonches, Centre-Val de Loire
French Louis XVI style Mahogany console topped with a white Carrara marble, decorated by a gilt brass openwork gallery and bronze elements.
A wooden lower shelf between legs finished with golden bronze clogs.
Perfect in an entryway, or to create a small whiskey bar...
Category
Late 20th Century Louis XVI French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Carrara Marble
18th Century Serpentine Front Commode
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
Fine quality 18th century Serpentine commode in mahogany and satinwood inlay.
This commode stands well and is beautifully proportione...
Category
18th Century Neoclassical Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Mahogany
20th Century Maison Jansen Style Chinoiserie Commode
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
A striking 1950s French, Maison Jansen style, red lacquer and marble topped chinoiserie commode.
The red lacquer decorated with gilt chinoiserie figures and pavilions in a wooded lan...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Charlotte Perriand
By Charlotte Perriand
Located in Grenoble, FR
Charlotte Perriand
wall sideboard with doors and drawers Steph Simon from the famous Les Adrets residence. Certainly the most accomplished residence and the closest to the aspiration...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Plastic, Pine
$18,035
Antique French Marble Top Inlaid Commode
Located in London, GB
A stunning antique French commode with a marble top. This dates from around the 1880-1900 period.
It is of superb quality, it is predominantly burr walnut, with beautiful inlays of ...
Category
1890s Louis XV Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble
French Empire-Style Commode / Chest of Drawers with Marble Top
Located in Houston, TX
This is a handsome chest of drawers having four drawers that
Draw easily. A column flanks each side and is accented with
Original bronze dore mounts. The drawers are dove tailed an...
Category
Early 20th Century Empire French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Mahogany
French Bombe Commode Louis XV Style
Located in SAINTE-COLOMBE, FR
French Bombe Commode Louis XV Style
This attractive French Bombe Commode features a stunning free-standing Breche marble top with a moulded outer edge. This is removable for transp...
Category
Early 20th Century Louis XV French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Shagreen Chest of Drawers '2 Drawers' with Black Stone Marquetry by Ginger Brown
By Ginger Brown
Located in Bourguebus, FR
This beautiful organic chest of drawers is made of shagreen (our ref ANTIC).
It has 2 drawers, and the top is inlaid with a polished black stone marquetry...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Organic Modern French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Stone
An 18th Century French Louis XV Provincial Four-Drawer Marble Top Wood Chest
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French period 18th century finely carved, marble top commode. This French period Louis XV Provincial commode, circa 1750-1760, features two smaller drawers at top, divided with pla...
Category
18th Century Louis XV Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble, Metal
French Louis XIV Style Gray Painted Commode, Late 19th Century
Located in South Salem, NY
A late 19th Century Louis XIV style French commode with later gray paint. Brass pulls and escutcheons on three drawers. Darker gray painted top. Please note of wear consistent with age.
Category
Late 19th Century Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Wood
Pair of antiques fine French Bombe Commodes with Elaborate Bronze Mounts
Located in Houston, TX
Pair of fine French commodes
with bronze dore mounts with original patina in brilliant hue
The cross matched kingwood veneers exhibit fine workmanship.
Pale cream marble with rose ...
Category
Early 20th Century Louis XV French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Wood
$16,800 Sale Price / set
42% Off
18th Century French Walnut Commode with Marble Top Stamped "N. Petit"
By Nicolas Petit
Located in Pembroke, MA
French 18th century transitional style walnut commode with a thick Gris St. Anne marble top (1 1/8" thick) and very nice patina. The commode is stamped "N. Petit" and "JME" for the g...
Category
Mid-18th Century Louis XV Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble, Bronze
$6,600 Sale Price
32% Off
Chest of drawers model Cosmopol. 5 drawers
Located in Courbevoie, FR
Cosmopol is an elegant and minimalist furniture line inspired by the values of Scandinavian functionalism.
Entirely made in France, each piece is individually produced according to ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Scandinavian Modern French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Oak
$4,149 / item
A Fantastic Quality Mid 19th Century Gilt Bronze Mounted Commode By Pretot
By Hippolyte-Edme Pretot
Located in Long Island City, NY
A Fantastic Quality Mid 19th Century Gilt Bronze Mounted Louis XVI Style Mahogany Commode
By Pretot
A marble top above a frieze applied with scrolling-vine mounts and fronted by tw...
Category
Mid-19th Century Belle Époque Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
18th century French chest of drawers ...
Located in Brecht, BE
a gorgeous 18th century French fruitwood chest of drawers, small proportions and with quirky feet, great design that ca...
Category
Mid-18th Century Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Fruitwood
Antique French Louis XVI Marble-Top Walnut Commode
Located in Dallas, TX
Antique French Louis XVI marble top walnut commode was hand-crafted in the neoclassical style and features truly timeless architecture. The gracefully and subtly bowed front blends i...
Category
Early 20th Century Louis XVI French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Directoire Black Lacquered Chest with Marble Top
Located in Dallas, TX
This item is a gorgeous 19th Century French Directoire Black Lacquered Chest with Marble. The chest showcases a French style with a black color and a marble top, adding elegance and ...
Category
19th Century Directoire Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble
Antique French Empire Style Marquetry Inlay Chest Commode
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique French Empire Style Marquetry Inlay Commode Chest of Drawers
Gorgeous French Empire style commode/chest of drawers featuring intricate inlaid marquetry with a finely detaile...
Category
19th Century Empire Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble, Ormolu
French Deco Exotic Wood Vanity Mirror Chest of Drawers manner of Paul Frankl
By Paul Frankl
Located in Chicago, IL
Deco vanity mirror with chest of drawers. Use of exotic woods on a deco skyscraper base. The handles are 2 types of wood. No markings or labels. Appears to be of French origin. An early piece that shows some age with loss of veneer and some of the white plastic deco detailing on the piece.
Manner of Paul Frankl Skyscraper...
Category
Early 20th Century Art Deco French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Wood
French 18th Century Regence Ormolu-Mounted Commode by Etienne Doirat
By Etienne Doirat
Located in PARIS, FR
A Regence ormolu-mounted commode by Etienne Doirat (Paris, 1675-1732)
Rare and elegant commode curved on the front and on the sides, in amaranth veneer arranged in sheets in the frames. It opens with four drawers in three rows: two large and two short and asymmetrical .
Rich ornamentation of chiseled and gilt bronzes: the Rococo frontal cartouche, mounts with oak leaf windings, foliated handles and clogs, rosettes on the sides.
Flanders red marble top.
Size: h. 35.04 inch, w. 56.69 inch, d. 33.46 inch
By Etienne Doirat (1675-25 June 1732), Regency period, 18th century
Although not stamped, our commode belongs by its shape and its bronze ornamentations to an identified corpus of the production of Etienne Doirat, one of the most talented cabinetmakers under the Regency.
This group of chests of drawers listed in public and private collections, some of which stamped E. Doirat are characterized by the almost identical front cartouche.
On our chest of drawers, this cartouche is formed by two scalloped lambrequins joined by a clip they are extended by branches with acanthus foliage and flowers with beaded friezes. Inside are two keyholes, the first with a lion's mouth, the second formed by two stylized dolphins facing each other with lion's paws under a valance.
Chests of drawers by Etienne Doirat with the frontal cartouche:
Commode in identical "tombeau" shape:
- Commode stamped Doirat, Christie's London, July 10, 2008 lot n 43
- Unstamped chest of drawers, doc. Me Tajan, published in "French 18th century Furniture" by Kjelleberg
Commode of different shape, identical front cartouche:
- Chest of drawers with three drawers, stamped Doirat, Christie's London, November 27, 2018 lot n 509
- Sarcophagus chest of drawers, stamped Doirat, J. Paul Getty museum, Los Angeles
- Chest of drawers with two drawers, stamped Doirat, private collection, illustrated in J. - D. Augarde
- Chest of drawers with three drawers, stamped by Migeon, but attributed to Doirat from the former Eugène Kraemer collection, sale at Galerie Georges Petit (Paris), May 5-6, 1913, lot 141; former Ogden Mills collection, Paris, rue de Varenne...
Category
Early 18th Century Régence Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble, Bronze
$36,314 Sale Price
30% Off
Pair of Marble-Top Louis XV Style Commodes Chests Attributed to Maison Jansen
By Maison Jansen
Located in Manhasset, NY
Pair of marble-top commodes in the Louis XV fashion by Maison Jansen. This fabulous pair of oak secondary wood commodes. Each in the Louis XV style having routed panel sides and fron...
Category
1910s Vintage French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Wood
Louis XV-Louis XVI Transition Style Marquetry Inlaid Commode
Located in Montreal, QC
Transition style Louis XV-Louis XVI marquetry inlaid commode with sarrancolin marble top and bronze mounts.
Category
1930s Vintage French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Walnut
French Commode Chiffonnier Chest of Drawers Veneered Rosewood, 20th Mid-century
Located in Labrit, Landes
French commode chest of drawers chiffonnier veenered rosewood.
The elegant handles are in silver metal with gold edging.
A few scratches on the sides in the lower parts of the cabine...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Metal
French Antique Transformation Chest of Drawers, circa 1800
Located in Belmont, MA
The French antique transformation furniture chest of drawers, originates from Paris and dates back to around 1800. The special feature of this...
Category
Late 18th Century Louis XVI Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Kingwood, Rosewood, Satinwood
$9,600 Sale Price
20% Off
Exceptional Late 19th Century Gilt Bronze-Mounted Lacquer Commode, Henry Dasson
By Henry Dasson
Located in Long Island City, NY
An Exceptional Late 19th Century Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze Mounted Lacquer Commode By Henry Dasson
Henry Dasson
A beautiful shaped Rosso Levanto marble top above two long and deep...
Category
Late 19th Century Belle Époque Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Early 20th Century Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze Marquetry Commode
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Louis XV style gilt bronze marquetry commode with mounted marmol. France, early 20th century.
Category
Early 20th Century Louis XV French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Bronze
Maison Jansen, Pair of Black Lacquer Cabinets, France, 1965
By Maison Jansen
Located in New York, NY
Twin columns of twisted gilt wood form the vertical borders of this gracefully symmetrical, black lacquered, double door cabinet.
Provenance:
In 1965 Maison Jansen decorated a Paris...
Category
1960s Vintage French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Wood
19th Century Louis Philippe Chest
Located in Nashville, TN
This is a stunning 19th century Louis Philippe Chest with its simple but stately design. Stripped of the original color showing now showing the woods naturial color and gorgeous deta...
Category
1850s Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble
French Early 18th Century Louis XV Period Walnut Commode De Chateau
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A very impressive and high quality French early 18th century Louis XV period walnut and rosewood Commode de Château. The chest is raised on slightly curved legs with a scrolled friez...
Category
18th Century Louis XV Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble
French Louis XVI Period Fruitwood and Walnut Marquetry Commode, 18th Century
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
This French commode from the late 18th century is a distinguished example of the Louis XVI style, celebrated for its balance, geometric harmony, and classical inspiration. Crafted in...
Category
18th Century Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Bronze
19th Century French Chest of Drawers
Located in Nashville, TN
This 19th century Louis Philippe chest is stunning. The French do such an amazing job with veneer and the front of this chest is no exception . Brilliant black Marble and amazing ori...
Category
1880s Antique French Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Marble
Antique French Commodes for Sale on 1stDibs
Shopping for an antique French commode or chest of drawers?
Commode is the French term for a low chest of drawers, but it is also sometimes used to denote any case piece with a particularly intricate design. The commode dates to circa 1700 France, where it was used as an alternative to a taller cabinet piece so as to not obscure paneled, mirrored or tapestried walls. Coffers, or chests, which were large wooden boxes with hinged lids and sometimes stood on ball feet, preceded chests of drawers, a fashionable cabinet furnishing that garnered acclaim for its obvious storage potential and versatility. The term commode was also used to refer to a piece of bedroom furniture — a washstand or nightstand that contained a chamber pot.
During Louis XIV's reign, the commode replaced the chest as a storage device, with drawers and a surface that could double as a desk. As time passed, French and British furniture makers led the way in the production of chests of drawers, and features like the integration of bronze and ornamental pulls became commonplace. Antique French commodes in the Louis XV style were sometimes crafted in mahogany or walnut, while an Italian marble top added a sophisticated decorative flourish. This specific type of case piece grew in popularity in the years that followed.
So, what makes a chest of drawers different from a common dresser? Dressers are short, and chests of drawers are overall taller pieces of furniture that typically do not have room on the top for a mirror as most dressers do. Tallboys and highboys are variations of the dresser form. Some chests of drawers have one column of four to six long drawers or three long drawers in their bottom section that are topped by a cluster of small side-by-side drawers on the top. To further complicate things, we sometimes refer to particularly short chests of drawers as nightstands.
Even though chests of drawers are commonly thought of as bedroom furniture to store clothing, these are adaptable pieces. A chest of drawers can house important documents — think of your walnut Art Deco commode as an upgrade to your filing cabinet. Nestle your chest near your home’s front door to store coats and other outerwear, while the top can be a place to drop your handbag. Add some flair to your kitchen, where this lovable case piece can hold pots, pans and even cookbooks.
At 1stDibs, find antique and vintage French commodes and chests of drawers for sale — shop Rococo-style commodes, Empire-style commodes, Louis XVI-style commodes and other antique furniture today.
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