If one piece of furniture depicted the Victorian era, what would it be: a large bulbous mahogany sideboard, an elegant chaise longue, or perhaps the good old chest of drawers.
The onset of mass produced furniture in the Victorian era had meant that more families than any other time in British history now had a selection of reasonable furniture at their disposal to use in their homes. What mass production also meant was a proliferation of styles that furniture manufacturers could draw on from Elizabethan, through to Queen Anne, Georgian, Rococo and Regency. No style was beyond the expertise of these newly thriving furniture manufacturers. Although many examples were certainly not up to the standard of their handmade predecessors, serviceability rather than quality was key, and many chests produced then still survive in good order today.
Most chests of drawers of the period had pine frames and drawers, the cheaper varieties painted or stained to mimic woods such as mahogany and walnut. The up and coming middle classes would buy large pieces to suggest status and these were often made of mahogany with mahogany veneer, some with five sets of drawers rather than four. Although some had quite elaborate columns and decoration, the focus was on the wood and French polishing to bring up the deep, glossy red shine of the mahogany.
Many fine examples of Victorian mahogany antique chests of drawers can be found in Preston, Lancashire, London and dealerships throughout the country.
No comments yet.