Large Gray Painted Commode, Italy circa 1800

This antique rococo large oak chest of drawers features a serpentine front, brass hardware pulls and is raised on lovely cabriolet feet. The newer, professionally applied and layere...

Large rococo oak chest of 4 drawers with serpentine front resting on cabriolet feet. The four drawers each have 2 brass pulls and key ho...

Pair, long pine chest of two drawers with newer, professionally applied light dove gray painted and distressed finish which fits the age and grace of the pair. The unique size of 4.5...

A small oak rococo chest of three drawers with brass key escutcheons. The scalloped edge is carried down through the 3 drawer fronts and bottom apron resulting in an elegant chest al...

This antique rococo large oak chest of drawers features a serpentine front, brass hardware pulls and is raised on a scalloped skirt base. The newer, professionally applied and layere...

This rococo large oak chest of drawers features a serpentine front, brass hardware pulls and is raised on large bun feet. The newer, professionally applied and layered salmon painted...

French Gray Painted Commode, embellished with an artful hand carved floral motif across serpentine drawer fronts between classically lined stop-fl...

Chic, canted corner, three-drawer, walnut and pearwood commode from Modena, Italy. Striking parquetry surrounds the piece three quarters.

The rectangular inlaid top above five drawers raised on square tapered legs

This mahogany commode has the fluted rails and canted corners typical of case furniture made along the coasts of the Baltic and North Seas around 1800. More difficult to pinpoint, however, is the exact place of its making, since this geographical region stretches from Germany to Russia, and north from Poland to Scandinavia. That said, a strikingly similar, if slightly plainer commode in a private German collection bears an old paper label that identifies it as having been made in the city of Altona. It also bears the seal of King Christian VII of Denmark who reigned until 1808. At the time, Altona was in the independent Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein, located between Denmark and Prussia. Both nations tried to annex the Duchy, and in 1848 it was ceded to Prussia, which became part of Germany in 1871. A North Sea port, Altona was a member of the Hanseatic League, an association of seaports that was established in the 14th century to foster trade and police the high seas. Around 1800, the aforementioned King Christian of Denmark, who was also the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, allowed Jews to freely settle in Altona to increase the tax base. This allowed them to conduct business in neighboring Hamburg, a larger financial hub that maintained quotas. The prosperous Jewish families of Altona built villas there, and decorated them with furnishings that were made locally and imported. Many of those makers owned copies of furniture-pattern books, which were widely disseminated among these seaports, accounting for the difficulty in determining if a piece was made in Altona, Stockholm, or St. Petersburg. We can’t trace our commode to a Danish king or a known Altona merchant, but we can link it to the New World empire builders...

Recycled pine in cityscape gray finish. The four drawers in the recessed block front with a molded edge to the top and bottom. Dimensions: 36" W x 18" D x 33" H

Antique French Provincial Commode Circa 1800