Recent wardrobe find

[1918ColonialRevival]

Sharing pictures of a solid quarter sawn oak wardrobe that my wife found at one of our favorite secondhand furniture shops. This thing is huge - 94 inches tall by 72 inches wide by 22 inches deep. There's minimal use of nails and screws in the construction. Most joints are mortise and tenon and all panels are hand-planed, which is interesting for a piece this late. I'm certain it's Western European, likely French or German. It's styled in the manner of an early wardrobe, but there's some Victorian influence around the base with the drawers and the hardware. From the hardware, I'd say it dates to the early 1890s. The hardware is Eastlake influenced with just a hint of emerging Art Nouveau styling. I'm going out on a limb here and speculating that it was either made by an elderly cabinetmaker who learned his trade prior to the 1840s, or by someone who apprenticed under a cabinetmaker who learned their trade in the early 1800s and didn't adapt much to newer tools and techniques.

All it required was a gentle cleaning and waxing. Pictures are below.

If anyone was wondering about cost, let's just say it was about the same as an Ikea bookcase.

[Gothichome]

Well, would you look at that. What a great find. I don't think you are too off on your read of manufacture and date. Just about the cost of IKEA, amazing, folks are still paying for junk when true well constructed furniture is easily found for the same and most likely less money.

[Lily left the valley]

Stunning piece. Thanks for posting it!

[mjt]

That's an amazing piece!

[phil]

It looks very nice.. 10 years ago I used to go to a lot of antique auctions and mom got interested and decided she'd buy us each one and so she kept going and bidding. they werent' quite that old , maybe 30's and usually went for about 200.00 or so. they usually do come apart. the one I have splits right down the middle once you remove the screws it is a T and G fit. if you are lucky it might have the original hangers or the old silvered mirror inside the door but often they are missing.

a lot of that old oak was originally not stained but fumed with ammonia so Im wondering if that was originally? it's definitely very nice as is. dont' tell the ikea people or they will buy stuff like that and paint it with white melamine