The History of Decorative Furnitures

By: Mitch Johnson

Learn more about the chest of drawers, chiffonier, wine-coasters and coffee tables. These were not designed for the daily use of the common man; they were made with different intricate designs and decorations.

Chests of Drawers
The chest of drawers was evolved from the simple chest, noted above. Drawers were added underneath the chest, and before very long the entire piece of furniture became the casing fitted with drawers, as we know it today.

The earliest were made about 1650, of oak, inlaid, and later with the fashion for walnut they became very popular in that wood. Many were decorated with marquetry and with lacquer, and plain walnut examples were veneered to show the grain of the wood at its best. About 1720, small chests of drawers, called for no recorded reason 'bachelor's chests', were made, these have tops that fold over and rest on bearers that pull out from the body of the piece.

Being no more than about thirty inches high, two feet in width and a foot from back to front, it is no wonder they are much in demand and very expensive. When old walnut furniture was enjoying a vogue in the 1920's examples of it were dear and labor cheap; many fakes were made. Now, forty years later, some of these have had a lot of wear and tear, and careful examination is needed to distinguish between old and new.

Chests of drawers continued in popularity throughout the eighteenth century, and very fine examples were made in mahogany. Some were of serpentine shape; the top drawer fitted as a dressing table with divisions for combs, brushes and toilet accessories, and with the front corners heavily carved. Simpler ones were of straight outline, and relied on gilt metal handles for their ornament.

Inlaid mahogany chests of drawers came into fashion about 1780, and were made with straight or bowed fronts. They continued to be made with slight variations in design for many years more.

Chiffonier
It is a small bookcase or cupboard with an upper part of open shelves. A decorative piece of furniture that was first made about 1800, and continued to be popular throughout the nineteenth century.

Coasters
Wine-coasters are stands for bottles or decanters for use at the dining table. Some took the form of wooden trays with rims; others were of japanned papier-mache, silver or plate. Cheese coasters were usually made of mahogany and date from about 1790. They are boat-shaped with a square base raised on small casters. Today, they are rarely used to hold the large round cheeses for which they were designed, but have a fresh lease of life as fruit containers.

Coffee Tables
While any small and low table can be, and is, called a coffee table, the term is applied particularly to the sets of three or four tables made from about 1790; of which the latter were called 'quartetto tables'. As their name implies, they were made in sets of four, and were so designed that each slid into the other. When so placed they took up no more room than the largest. Made in mahogany and in rosewood, they have been in production almost continuously and old sets are scarce.

This furniture, like the drawers with the decorated chests, chiffonier a small decorative bookcase or cupboard with an upper part of open shelves and wine-coasters are stands for bottles or decanters for use at the dinning-table. Any small and low table can be called a coffee table. These are mainly made of walnut, mahogany, oak, and rosewoods.

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

Mitch Johnson is a regular writer for www.kids-games-n-crafts.com/ , www.ezcollectablesresources.info/ , www.guidetocollectables.info/

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