Chest Of Drawers

Antique Chest of Drawers for Sale: Navigate the Wild World of Drawers

The antique chest of drawers here for sale can be beautifully imagined in one's bedroom or living area as a drawer chest is a versatile accent piece of furniture. Dexileos allows you to view a variety of chests of drawers, dressers, and commodes. To fully appreciate the distinctiveness of each piece, and the differences between them, a little history is necessary.

Antique Chest of Drawers: How They Developed

Chests of drawers were first fabricated in the mid-17th century as a piece of furniture that is a chest, with drawers inside, due to a need for more storage in furniture. This was a change from the coffer chest that was being used since the 13th century, which was a chest or box with a hinged top attached to it. In the late 17th century, bun or ball feet were common to elevate the furniture from the ground. The drawers were mainly long and on top of one another and it was frequent to find chests of three drawers with two short ones at the top.

18th-century chests of drawers evolved in different ways. In the mid-18th century, serpentine fronts, which had concave ends and a convex center, emerged in popularity and were frequently seen in French styles. Bow fronts were also a desired style, rising in the Georgian period as chests of drawers became more accessible for middle-class homes. These chests of drawers usually had bracket feet instead of the former bun feet and also had marquetry decorative patterns. Moreover, while the earlier chests of drawers were commonly found made of oak wood, in the 18th century, chests were diversified with the use of mahogany, pine, or ash woods.

Antique Dresser vs. Chest of drawers vs. Commode

There are different words used to describe similar furniture as styles changed and were adapted by different cultures and areas.

A French chest of drawers is called a commode, the word meaning “convenient” in French, perfectly describing the initial purpose of this furniture. Antique commodes were used in France during the late 17th century and usually included a marble top with two doors fitted to it. They tended to be rather short (or wider than tall) and, at the time, were sometimes used to store chamber pots. The 18th century shifted the outline of the commode, elongating and curving the shape of the legs, becoming what we know as the cabriole legs. During the Louis XV period, more extravagant Rococo curves were seen as well as gold-covered bronze finishings call ormolu. The Louis XVI commode marked by the neoclassical style restrained the form of the commode as the drawer lines became more rectangular and the legs were straightened.

Dressers are differentiated from chests of drawers and commodes as they usually have a mirror attached to them and also tend to be taller. This can also explain why dressers are more associated with being bedroom furniture, while chest of drawers and commodes can be seen in more variable areas throughout the home. This is not to be mistaken with the term dresser in British English as an English antique dresser will likely be a sideboard (with or without open shelves on top) for tableware.

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