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Chests, Chests of Drawers and Various Small Boxes
Origins of the chest—cofferers and arkwrights—the carpenter’s planked chest—chip-carving decoration—the panelled chest of the joiner—development of the mule chest—early enclosed chest of drawers—the chest in two stages—the joiner’s slide—veneered chests—chests on stands and tallboys—bachelor, dressing and linen chests with presses—commodes and military chests—later forms—drawer construction and dating by feet and handles—Bible and ruff boxes—knife and candle boxes—tea caddies, cellarets and portable liqueur cases—sewing boxes antique christening shell .
Chests belong to the very beginning of domestic furnishing antique drop leaf painted table 1800 . Blanket chests, hope chests, even treasure chests—they served as wardrobes, as safes, as seats and sometimes even as beds antique french campaign chair . A chest is probably one of the earliest pieces likely to come the way of anyone starting to collect antique furniture in a modest manner porcelain vases czechoslovakia . Those belonging to the early Stuart period are not difficult to find and may be had for under £10 everest patent for two-seater sofa . They are not always large and a length of 3 feet or very little more is fairly common antique porcelain and china clocks .
Very early chests, some of which may date from Saxon times, were primitive but served their purpose well antique occasional table pie crust top . Usually they were made from rough hewn logs which were sawn down the middle and hollowed out classism semicircular arc . Then the two parts were hinged together and encircled with strong iron bands to which locks could be attached small antique dresser with cabriole legs . The French word trove, meaning a collecting box, and the English trunk have the same origin and refer to this tree-bole type of chest china made in czechoslovakia . I have seen one in the church at Llan Eilean, near An-ilwch in Anglesey, with three locks furniture + finmar ltd . It was customary for the keys to be held by the priest and two churchwardens so that the chest could not be opened without all three being present chamber pot chair value .
Medieval chests for transporting money and valuables were known as coffers semichina blue ware . They were comparatively small and often covered with leather and studded with nails warm entree dish . The man who made them was known as a cofferer and another craftsman who made chests was called an arkwright antique bombe commode louis the xv with marble top . He made them with bevelled lids and wooden pins served as hinges mahogany gateleg table . These belong to the Gothic period and are very rare art deco game tables .
The early Tudor chests, made for the smaller household, were known as planked chests silver flatware wood handle . They were made by a carpenter and consisted of a number of boards or planks held together with nails or wooden pins creamware tureen neoclassical acanthus . Planked chests had thick iron wire or wrought-iron strap hinges and were often decorated with chip-carving or architectural motifs in low relief antique italian pottery marks . Some of these planked chests were quite small and make interesting acquisitions for those who like old oak antique drop leaf gateleg dining room table .
The joiner’s panelled chest appeared about 1550 and the
panels were usually decorated like the example shown in
Chapter 1 baltimore neoclassical sideboard . The panelled chest, in various sizes, was an
essential chattel in every Tudor household and the larger
establishments seem to have had a chest in every room japanese imari 18th .
Visitors to Haddon Hall in Derbyshire may care to count
the great number and variety of chests which are to be
seen there chiffonier 19th century . A type of chest, made about this time, which
is now very rare and really a collector’s piece, was one
constructed with fairly long legs, about table height soup turrene . It
was known as a counter and used by house stewards and
clerks for paying out or collecting money 17th century chairs . The modern
word counter, as in a shop, derives from this long obsolete
piece of furniture space saving rectangular drop leaf tables . In a slightly different form, with doors
opening at the front and with the top fastened down, the counter was known as a hutch 1920s draw leaf dining set turned legs . Further details of this are given in Chapter 6 small antique dressers from montgomery wards .
The ordinary planked or panelled chest had one great drawback in that only the contents at the top were readily accessible antique 19th century daybed and brass feet . To reach anything carefully tucked away at the bottom of the chest necessitated the removal of all the other things lying above how high above a sideboard should a mirror be hung . Early in the Stuart period, some ingenious joiner invented the mule chest 1930’s austrian furniture . This was a shallower type of panelled chest, under which were situated two or three drawers brass dolphin triple dining table base . This design was extremely popular and mule chests continued to be made in the country towns and villages until around the year 1800 indian antique tea kettles .
The mule chest proved to be a great improvement in its capacity for storage antique round oak dining table claw and ball feet . Not only were the bottom drawers available for the separation of items, but inside the chest itself it is not unusual to find a small box or till with a lid, situated at one end near the top myott son compagnie . This was used for keeping letters and documents and these little tills often repay a closer examination, for on several occasions I have found that the front of the box will slide upwards to reveal two or three secret drawers beneath antique chinese chamber pot . In some of the larger chests, intended for storing blankets or linen only, the till would be merely a shallow tray on which the good housewife could place a spray of lavender to sweeten her sheets and pillow slips clear glass trinket boxes or powder boxes .
To the student of woodwork history, the mule chest is particularly interesting because there can be little doubt that the chest of drawers developed from it finial silver flatware . This process was not a swift one and for a space of time, roughly between t620 and 1660, there was a type of chest of drawers in use which was really a cupboard full of trays or drawers, surmounted by one large deep drawer creamware bird on pedestal . The cupboard doors with one lock prevented unauthorised access to any of the lower drawers but this must have proved unworkable as this pattern new deco furniture . ceased to be made shortly after 1660 and the chest of drawers assumed the form by which it is known today 17th century trestle table with claw feet .
For ease of removal the first chests of drawers were made in two stages or sections english wedgewood . The upper stage of two small and one long drawer fitted on to four pegs on top of the lower section of two long drawers secretaire desk antique . These early chests in two stages also had drawers with grooves cut in the sides, known as joiner’s slides earliest tilt top tea table . They were designed mainly to prevent wear on the drawer bottoms and also to prevent the drawer from tipping downwards when more than half open inlaid silver black bone china antique . It was found, however, that the slide grooves required disproportionately thicker linings to the drawers so that the cabinet-maker, with his improved ideas of jointing and finer standard of craftsmanship, caused the joiner’s slide to become obsolete about the year 1690 dutch rococo cupboard . Any antique chest of drawers with joiner’s slides may be safely said to be earlier than this date although this ancient construction has been revived in the last few years for modern kitchen units and office furniture milanese ebonized antiques .
Cabinet-maker’s chests with their broad, flat surfaces provided suitable subjects for veneering antique glass top tea table bird . By the end of the Restoration period, chests with marquetry decoration were in fashion and it is not uncommon to find country-made oak chests of this time with panelled oak sides and the top and drawer fronts veneered scottish chest drawers . Smaller chests of drawers, of 3-feet width and under and covered with oystershell veneer, are scarce and in good condition might be worth up to £80 and more antique mahogany french bedside commode .
During the William and Mary period, the chest of drawers on a stand made its appearance and shortly after developed into a chest on a chest or tallboy what are japanese black laquer screen made screen . The chest on a stand did not last long as a furnishing piece but the tallboy remained popular throughout the greater part of the 18th century german antique romer drinking glasses . It is difficult to understand this, as access to the upper drawers of a tallboy is very awkward and necessitates standing on a chair or stool antique west indies console table . Perhaps, for this very reason, they were considered safer for the storage of valuables revolvong bookcase .
Bachelor chests and dressing chests were brought into use during the first half of the 18th century 19th century commode with chamber pot . These were intended primarily for bedrooms, the former having a folding top which opened outwards on lopers, or pull-out supports vintage mahogany drop leaf table 1940 . Sometimes, instead of the folding top, a pullout slide for brushing clothes was included in the construction turkish sofa design . The dressing chest had a top drawer fitted with a toilet set and further reference will be made to it in Chapter 9 antique french drawleaf table .
Another type, adapted for a special purpose, was the linen chest with a press 17th century marquetry bombe commode . It was usually about 3 feet long and had several small drawers near the top art deco writers . Its particular feature was a wooden screw-press, mounted on the top for the purpose of compressing the linen before putting it away in the drawers french 17th century cabinent makers . On several occasions I have come across these chests, with rectangular pieces of wood let into the top at each end to fill the spaces left where the screw-press uprights had been removed antique chippendale display cabinet .
Two other varieties belong to the Chippendale and Sheraton periods 1930s frankart lamps . One was the commode, a very elaborate chest of drawers which was raised on shaped legs engliosh design consoles furniture . It often had a convex or bombe front and later types were embellished with ormolu mounts in the French style value of 18th century dressing table . The other was the military chest, used during the campaigns of the Napoleonic wars in the early 19th century 17th century dining tables . It was made in two stages for ease of transport and is easily recognised by the clean-cut rectangular shape, the addition of brass corner pieces and the sunk handles on the drawers japanese art nouveau desk . A design usually associated with Sheraton was the bow-fronted chest and these continued to be made well into Victorian times portois fix .
Certain details of drawer construction, handle design and feet are invaluable in dating a chest of drawers antiques marks on furniture . Dovetailing of a rather crude nature had been used for the corners of boxes and small chests before the Restoration kidney shaped antique furniture . During the years between 1660 and 1750 the technique of making fine dovetail joints was brought to a high degree of craftsmanship latter carving on pembroke table . Large tails and widely spaced pins are indicative of early or country production roccoccoware . Herring-bone stringing, set in walnut veneer, was used for drawer front decoration during the Queen Anne period but became obsolete soon after 1720 spanish marquetry dining table .
Oak chests of drawers, belonging to the second half of the 17th century and the early years of the 18th, are sometimes found with the corner joints lapped and nailed world market carved brass charger plate . This is, of course, the mark of a poorly made piece georgian sideboards and serving tables . I believe the idea of nailing drawer fronts was adapted from cheap, imported furniture and the practice was undoubtedly followed by our own country joiners, of whom a few were prepared to produce shoddy furniture, even in those days 1940’s decco furniture .
Until the time of Hepplewhite, drawer bottoms consisted of thin boards, fitted into a rebate on the inside of the drawer front and nailed along the under edge of the back lining earth driven electrical clock bentleys . About 1775, a new method of securing the bottom appeared whereby a centre batten running from the front to the back of the drawer held the bottom boards in grooves whilst the boards, instead of being placed from front to back, now ran parallel to the drawer front meissen porcelain blumen design .
Bun feet were the normal means of support for chests until around 1700 when bracket feet were introduced art deco kneeling dancer lamp . At first, bracket feet were high and appeared out of proportion but by 1750 they were made lower and continued so until the end of the century early imperial ming porcelain . Cabinet-makers during the Chippendale era used bracket feet of an ogee shape on the better class of work, but these lent a heavy, baroque appearance to the chest amphora czechoslovakia . A lighter type of foot, known as the French foot and associated with Sheraton furniture, is usually found on the earlier bow-fronted chests antique cabnit barley twist legs . After the Regency, this design was displaced by an uglier, turned foot which remained in use until the mid-Victorian period wooden cylinder pedestal .
The first chests of drawers had brass, drop handles which were pear shaped or flat with split ends 19th century ceramic wooden clock . These handles were fixed to the drawer by means of a split pin, which passed through the drawer front and was then opened out on the inside and the ends driven into the wood louis 16th sofas . Small wooden knobs were also in use at this time but these became obsolete and did not reappear until they were adopted by Hepplewhite for his mahogany chests about 1775 antique paper mache card table . Drop handles were succeeded by a ring type around 1700 and these are sometimes referred to as Dutch drops inlaid wood chinese duncan phyfe occasional table . From these developed loop handles with brass back plates which were first seen from about 1710 meissen porcelain marking . To begin with, back plates were simple butterfly shapes but by 1730 had become very elaborate, in a variety of fretted and saw-pierced patterns art deco lamp globe . By 1750, the back plates to drawer handles had disappeared, being replaced by small circular discs behind the handle mounts antique card table 1920 fold over top . Towards the end of the century knobs of cast brass or wood superseded the loop type of handle and were in use well into the Victorian period regency day bed . Back plates, either round or octagonal in shape and with longer loop handles attached, were revived during the time of the Regency repair antique dresser drawers .
Among the more diminutive chests and boxes which were made during the 17th century was one type, about 20 inches long and 14 inches wide 16th century antique refectory tables . It was used for storing the large, black letter family Bible or for documents antique calamander . Another box, not quite so long and narrower, was used for keeping lace and neck-ruffs victorian cedar drop leaf table . It was really an early form of collar box dinning table carved like an animal . These boxes were usually made in oak with hasp locks and were decorated with chip-carving and gouge-cuts meissen cris de paris . These small chests should not be confused with the sloping topped table desk which will be dealt with in the chapter on desks and bureaux antique octagonal tilt top tea table .
Candle and salt boxes were in everyday use in the kitchens during the 17th and 18th centuries, those for candles being long and comparatively narrow to accommodate tapers as well as candles antique monks chair . Later examples were often made in oak with mahogany cross-banded edges scottish dresser .
Table knives, particularly those with silver handles, were carefully safeguarded in the dining room furniture ornaments ny . In the Chippendale period, beautifully veneered and inlaid knife-boxes were made to stand on the sideboard, while similar boxes were provided for spoons and forks 1930 art deco french armchairs . Servants of the 18th century must have been notoriously dishonest or masters and mistresses of an equally suspicious nature, for it was the practice never to allow the cutlery and silver to be removed from the dining room gate leg table english oak antique . After a meal the knives, forks and spoons would be washed at the sideboard and the butler would then count and lock them away in their respective boxes english ironstone pottery .
Tea was an expensive commodity between 1700 and 1800 and here again a special little box or coffer, which could be kept locked, was used to hold the precious leaves rectangular drop-leaf table . Tea was always made at the tea table and the mistress of the house would keep the key of the tea caddy among the other housewifely belongings which hung on the chatelaine from her waist victorian dome revolving re serving dishes .
Tea caddies usually had two compartments, lined with lead foil to preserve the tea, but those dating from the early years of the 19th century are sometimes found with a cut-glass sugar bowl of Irish glass, situated between the compartments antique draw leaf dining table . A collection of wooden tea caddies is an admirable way of getting together, in a small space, examples of all the different types of wood and the decorative processes used by the cabinet-makers of the 18th century 19th century mechanical desks .
Reference must be made to the wine cellarets and portable liqueur cases, which were in general use between 1775 and 1830 gabriel viardot . The cellaret was a heavy, strongly made coffer about 2 feet square and lined with lead antique pemproke tables . It stood on feet and was placed beneath a side-table in the dining room andrea baccetti . Cellarets were nearly always made of mahogany with large brass ring handles at the sides barocan roll furniture .
The portable liqueur case was essentially a travelling companion and contained four or six square shaped decanters whose contents would fortify the traveller on the long coach journeys of those days sideboards . It was often finely veneered in walnut or mahogany and strengthened, like the military chest, with engraved brass corner pieces enterprise porcelain italy . These, in the finer examples, were sometimes of chased silver northern song dynasty ru ware . I have seen these little chests made in oak, shaped like a trunk and reinforced with wrought-iron bands antique table from a monastery in europe . As these oak types usually contain Liege glass decanters I think they must be of French or Flemish origin 1620 plate british cobalt blue .
Ladies’ sewing and needlework boxes, particularly those of the first half of the 19th century, can still be purchased for a pound or two chenghua foot rims . They are usually veneered in walnut or mahogany with ebony or brass inlay or with rosewood inlaid with ivory carlo zen furniture . A popular form of decoration at this time consisted of a very fine parquetry in various coloured woods, known as Tunbridge ware tables with chamber pots . These work boxes can be included, to advantage, with a collection of tea caddies and other small boxes chippendale drum table 2 drawers .

French Art Deco Furniture: SOLID ROSEWOOD OFFICE CHAIR, MACASSAR CHAIR, DEMI-LUNE SIDE TABLE, CENTRE TABLE.

FRANCE, ESPECIALLY PARIS, was the hub
of the lavish, or “high-style”, strain of Art Deco. The sumptuous, graceful furniture that was created in the 1920s by Emile Jacques Ruhlmann (see p.393) set the tone for this version of the style.
DUAL INSPIRATION
Using a host of exotic woods for decorative veneers, and embellishments made of colourful and expensive materials, ranging from ivory to lacquer and from leather to sharkskin, Ruhlmann and his colleagues – who included Paul Follot, Andre Groult, Jules Leleu, Leon-Albert Jallot, and Louis Sue and Andre Mare at the
Compagnic des Arts Francais – sought inspiration from the opulent furniture crafted by the fine cabinet-makers of the 18th century, such as Jean-Henri Riesener and Adam Weisweiler.
Ruhlmann and his associates
were also influenced by Art Nouveau (1880-1910). They took the sinuous lines, organic forms, and naturalistic motifs of that movement and restrained and stylized them, giving their pieces a more geometric form. Their exquisitely crafted Art Deco cabinets, tables, and writing desks were much coveted by an exclusive and wealthy clientele who sought status. Their
work was extensively displayed at the 1925 Paris Exhibition (see pp.392-93), bringing it to the attention of a much wider public.
LUXURIOUS MATERIALS
Jailor – who worked with his son Maurice – and Leleu favoured a rich palette of warm woods, such as walnut, palisander, and amboyna, enhanced With understated marquetry created with ivory, eggshell, shagreen, or mother-of-pearl. This often featured
signature Art Deco motifs, such as stylized garlands or baskets of flowers. Sue and Mare created luxurious, theatrical furniture in the Louis-Philippe style, and the decorating firm of Dominique produced stylish and sophisticated furniture in woods such as ebony and sycamore, upholstered in colourful silks, leather, and velvet.
The most exotic form of French Art Deco was realized in the innovative furniture created by Eileen Gray, Dunand, and Pierre Legrain. Both Gray and Dunand exploited the popularity of Oriental art by creating distinctive lacquered screens, tables, cabinets, and chairs, in which the lacquer was
often combined with other luxurious materials, such as tortoiseshell, eggshell, animal skins, and metal, to create a rather dramatic impression. Legrain was one of several designers inspired by African art.
TOWARDS MODERNISM
After 1925, some of the most committed French traditionalists, such as the
jallots, slowly began to adapt to the changes brought about by both the machine age and the introduction to furniture design of new materials, such as metal and glass. As a result, their later Art Deco designs are distinctly more Modernist in appearance They set the stage for the Modernist furniture created by designers such as Pierre Chareau and Francis Jourdain
Wrought-iron gates designed by Edgar Brandt
The stylized water fountain of these fine gates has swirling stems of leaves and pierced flowers, and vines run along the bottom. c.1924.

CENTRE TABLE
This centre table, designed by Maurice Dufrene, has a veneered table top supported by ornately moulded S-scroll legs. The table top is made from several different pieces of wood, which meet at the centre of the table. The contrasting patterns and textures of the woods used form the main decorative feature of the table
as, seen from above, they create a subtle, radiating geometric pattern. The moulded block feet are carved and support a small circular level with a carved rope design around the outer edge. A centre table was designed to be primarily ornamental rather than functional – to furnish the space in the middle of the room where it would also be the centre of attention. c.1925.
DEMI-LUNE SIDE “TABLE
This Louis Sue and Andre Mare bird’s-eye maple and mahogany demi-lune table has a broad crossbanded top above a thumb-moulded edge and a single frieze drawer. The table is supported on cabriole legs.
AMBOYNA CABINET
This amboyna cabinet has two central doors flanked by five small drawers on each side, each of which is decorated with ivory handles and inlay. The cabinet was designed and stamped by Paul Follot, and its symmetry and restrained style typify the elegant French Art Deco style. c.1925.

TABLE BAR
GILT-METAL TABLE
This table by Rene Prou is rectangular in shape and has elegant cabriole legs reminiscent of the early 18th-century Rococo style. The table is made of gilt metal and has a decorative pierced frieze of linked circles below the table top. c.1937.
MACASSAR CHAIR
This luxurious ebony and rosewood macassar chair, designed by Paul Follot, is one of a set of four. Each chair has a stylized acorn back within a “theatre drape curtain” arched back, carved by Laurent Malcles.
SOLID ROSEWOOD OFFICE CHAIR
This rare Edgar Brandt chair was one of a set designed for Brandt’s own offices. The arched high back extends above boldly scrolling T-shaped arms. The tapering legs terminate in gilt sabots. c.1932.
This Jules Leleu sycamore and mahogany table bar has a rectangular top above a rectangular section column. The fall front encloses a bar compartment with a single drawer below, located in the column. Its interior is veneered in contrasting mahogany.
This low stool is made of rosewood embellished with zebrano banding. The seat cushion is upholstered in a fabric that is typical of an Art Deco printed pattern, with overlapping geometric shapes, inspired by abstract art. c.1928.
LOW ROSEWOOD STOOL
BUTTON-BACKED CHAIR
One of a pair of square button-backed chairs by Marc du Plantier, this chair has square-section legs at the front and sabre legs at the back. The legs are made from painted wood and terminate in parchment sabots. The chair is newly upholstered in calfskin. c.1935.

Antique Carpets and Rugs. Turkestan.

Western Turkestan is a loosely defined area bordered by Iran and the Caspian Sea to the West, Afghanistan to the South, and China to the East. The region is inhabited by the Turkomans (Turkic peoples), whose tribal structure has historically always been complex and shifting. Mane of the tribal groups under this heading changed over the years as alliances were formed, broken, and re-formed. The main tribal subdivisions within this group are the Tekke, the Yomut, the Salor, the Ersari, the Beshir, the Saryk, and the Belouch. Their weaving tradition dates back centuries, but most examples found today can be confidently dated only to the 18th century or later. Western Turkestan came under the control of the Russian empire in the late I 9th century, and later of the Soviet Union. Russian domination gradually eroded the tribal structures and consequently tribal weavings became more stereotyped and commercialized, and less highly collectable.
TURKOMAN WEAVINGS
Turkoman weavings, as a group, are easy to recognize, but to identify the exact tribal subdivision can prove difficult. Based on nomadic traditions, their woven products included rugs and functional artifacts of daily life such as torba (long, narrow bags), juval (deeper bags), and trappings. Large carpets (more than 3.5m/ 12ft long) are seldom seen. Most pieces have a limited colour scheme – usually Turkoman weavings have the same ground and border colour. The background colour is usually red in all its shades, ranging from a very bright terracotta through burgundy to brown or aubergine. The designs, in dark brown, white, and blue, with occasional yellow, crimson, and green, are abstract and geometric in form, following the typical nomadic custom, and are woven from memory with patterns passed down through the generations. Wool is used for foundation and pile.
Prior to any commercialization the Turkomans used their weavings to decorate their circular tents, known as 6y; the motifs they wove identified the tribe. As in certain Ottoman designs, the primary motif is the gul, a geometric, highly stylized floral motif, and its shape
is (or was originally) the distinctive signature of the tribe – its symbol or emblem. The gul is used in repeated parallel rows in the main field design, which is framed by a complementary border. Difficulties of exact tribal attribution can arise, as gul motifs were copied from neighbouring tribes, or, during times of conflict, motifs were stolen and adapted by the victorious group.
By the end of the 19th century, commercialization along with increasing demand from Western markets led to the emergence of a more stereotyped style. The Tekke gul proved especially popular, and as a result other tribal groups abandoned their own gul to use that of the Tekke instead. By the end of the 19th century, although commercial production was a success, the individual weaving traditions of the tribes had virtually died out.
THE TRIBES
The Tekke were the most powerful tribe in western Turkestan during the 19th century until they were defeated in 1881 by the Russian army. They were prolific weavers, their products ranging from main carpets to functional functional pieces. Their carpets are among the most copied in Pakistan and Afghanistan today. Tekke carpets are often incorrectly called “Bokhara” carpets, while the famous Tekke gul is sometimes incorrectly described as the “elephant’s foot” gul after its shape. Tekke carpets often display a characteristic grid of black horizontal and vertical lines joining the guls. Weavings made prior to the end of the 19th century are extremely collectable and of high quality.
The Yomut were also prolific weavers. It is sometimes difficult to identify a Yomut piece, since the tribe used a great variety of designs, but various shades of brown and aubergine for the grounds, and bright reds, yellows, Hue, and ivory for pattern details arc typical. Yomut guls often have hooked edges and may be arranged in diagonals. Like the Tekke, the Yomut are famous for pertain artifacts, such as asmalyk (came] trappings).
The Salor, a notorious warring tribe, were heavily defeated by the Persians in 1831, and later by the Tckke in a land struggle in 1859. The tribe then effectively disintegrated and members were swallowed into larger groups such as the Ersari. Their large, rounded gul containing a trefoil motif (known as a or “flower”, gul) was subsequently adopted by the Tekke and the Saryk, but was used by these tribes in greater density, giving the pattern an overcrowded appearance.
In contrast to the finely woven work of the neighbouring Tekke and Yomut, the weaving of the Ersari is crude and loose. The Ersari are closely associated with the Beshir, and both were prolific weaving groups until the late 19th century. A typical Ersari design uses the gulli gul repeated in tightly packed rows. Borders of stepped medallions arc also common. Ersari carpets are often labelled as Afghan, mainly because the Turkoman plains of northern Afghanistan formed part of the tribe’s territory. Their designs, particularly the large gul format, were also imitated by later Afghan mass production.
The Saryk were one of the least prolific weaving groups in Turkestan: pieces identifiable to them arc rare, and sought after by collectors. Unusually for Turkoman work, Saryk carpets use the Turkish (symmetrical) knot. They also use several different guls, similar to those of the Tekke and the Salor. Most typical is a large octagonal old with 24 facets, often containing cross-shaped motifs; large and small guls may alternate in rows.
The Belouch (now the Baluchi) inhabit an isolated region straddling the Afghan-Iranian border. Their work is distinctive and original, making use of wonderfully soft natural camel wool. Prayer-rugs are one of their most highly regarded formats, while the tree — often a stylized tree of life — is one of their most typical motifs.
MAIN TRIBES the Tekke, the Yomut, the Salor, the Ersari, the Beshir, the Saryk, and the Belouch
• TYPES rugs, carpets, and artifacts such as bags and animal trappingsWEAVE
• wool pile on its wool foundation is typical
• COLORS the field is usually characterized by extremely distinctive shades of red and brown; Turkoman weavings typically have the same colour around and border; decorative motifs are atypically in dark blue or ivory
• DESIGNS these are almost exclusively geometric in form and are based upon motifs of flora and fauna; repeat designs of the gul or flower-head arc usually featured in the field
• COLLECTING examples are subdivided into tribal groups and arc usually identified by the shape and style of the primary gul motif; pieces made before 1900 are sought after by collectors; later pieces lack the individuality and subtlety of colour of early pieces and tend to be more coarsely woven
• BEWARE pieces from western Turkestan are often erroneously classified as “Bokhara” weavings after the exporting town in the region; however, no rugs were ever made in Bokhara; collectors should beware that designs are often copied in Pakistan using considerably inferior colours and materials to the originals

Tin-glazed earthenwares were made in Italy from at least the 13th century, and developed from very basic decorated pieces to wares of extremely high artistic quality. “Maiolica” is the term for Italian tin-glazed earthenwares, and is probably derived from the Tuscan name for the island of Majorca through which Hispano-Moresque wares from Spain were shipped to Italy from the 14th century.
BEFORE c.1400
The earliest period of maiolica production is known as the “Archaic” period and covers wares made until c.1400. The wares are basic in form: simple bowls, dishes, basins, or jugs. Decoration was executed mainly in manganese brown on a copper-green ground,
although yellow and blue were also used. The underlying tin-glazed surface is not always white, or even off-white, but a warm biscuity colour. Designs were mostly of stylized birds, animals, ribbonwork, hatching, geometric motifs, or occasionally the human figure.
1400-1500
From the early 14th century, maiolica emerged from
its humble origins to become a material appropriate for the most elevated patrons. Wares tend to be grouped according to the different types of decoration; the first was the “green” family (c.1425-50), a close descendant of the old Archaic tradition, in which designs were washed in green and outlined in manganese brown. The designs show a greater sensitivity and accomplishment than their predecessors but are still governed by the form of vessel or dish on which they appear. The “blue relief” wares (c.1430-60), which were mainly made in Tuscany, were painted in a very thick, rich, cobalt blue, a technique known as “impasto”, with detailing in manganese brown and copper green. Wares include albarelli (drug jars for use in pharmacies and spice stores) decorated with birds, animals, human figures, coats of arms, or oak leaves. Two-handled jars with oak-leaf decoration are called “oak-leaf” jars.
In the second half of the 15th century Italian potters produced ever more sophisticated work in both form and design. In contrast to the restricted early palette, tiles, albarelli, and dishes were painted in a broad range of colours, including blue, green, a translucent turquoise, yellow, and ochre. Designs include a bold Gothic scrolling leaf, the “Persian palmette” (resembling a pine-cone), the “peacock-feather eye”, “San Bernardino rays” (wavy radiating lines), tightly scrolled foliage with dotted flower-heads (probably inspired by Hispafio-Moresque ornament), ribbonwork, and geometric motifs.
The development of printing from the mid-15th century onward had
a major influence on the maiolica decorators, who used some of the primitive figural images – such as those on tarot cards – to decorate objects. With few exceptions, subjects before c.1500 are allegorical or symbolic, in contrast to the narrative style that developed during the following century. Most of the surviving early figural subjects have been found on wares attributed to Faenza or Florence, the foremost maiolica centres in the 15th century. Other important centres of production included Orvieto, Naples, and Deruta.
1500-1600
About 1480 the ruins of the Domus
Aurea (Golden House) of Emperor Nero was discovered in Rome; the walls in the grotto (underground
rooms) were painted with
ornament that included
scrolling foliage, fantastic
animals, and birds. Known
as “grotesques”, these
designs were translated
into engravings and used
extensively on Italian maiolica
for the next 200 years. Other designs were taken from a variety
of printed sources, including the
Metanzorpboses by the Classical
Roman poet Ovid, and the engravings
of Marcantonio Raimondi – most notable for reproducing work after the High Renaissance artist Raphael, who is considered the single most important influence on Italian istoriato (narrative) maiolica. Other artists whose work was incorporated into the painted designs include Albrecht Durer and Andrea Mantegna. Istoriato wares depict biblical, mythological, or historical themes, usually in a brilliant palette that employed the full range of high-fired colours; particularly predominant were a rich orange and a brilliant blue. The most important centres of production for istoriato wares were Urbino, Casteldurante, and Gubbio.
Other decorative styles include the “belle donne” dishes made particularly around Urbino from c.1520, which depicted the heads of beautiful women, and the a quartieri style – a patchwork of small, differently coloured panels each decorated with scrollwork or grotesques. In the 1520s the berrettino (grey-blue) ground was introduced in Faenza, and wares were typically decorated with grotesques and arabesques. The simplified compendiario style of decoration was introduced in Faenza during the second half of the 16th century, probably as a reaction to the increasingly busy istoriato ato wares. This simple, rather sketchy style, depicting flowers, figures, or coats of arms, employed a limited palette of blue, yellow, and ochre on a rich whit ground known as bianco di Faenza. In Montelupo in northern Italy, potters produced very high-quality ware, decorated with saints or single figures surrounded by a band of complex decoration. Wares included curious bulbous ewers with dragon-head spouts.
KEY FACTS
Before 1400
• BODY fairly crude brownish or buff colour
• GLAZE thin, an off-white colour
• PALETTE usually manganese brown and copper green
• FORMS simple bowls, dishes, basins, and jugs
• DECORATION known as “Archaic”; rather crude crosshatching used as a ground, geometric motifs, stylized birds and animals, occasionally figures
• IMPORTANT CENTRES OF PRODUCTION Florence,
Faenza, Deruta, Orvieto, and Naples
1400-1500
• BODY this improved as the century progressed
• GLAZE off-white, sometimes pinky
• PALETTE cobalt blue introduced c.1400; ochre and other colours such as turquoise
• DECORATION known as “severe”; groups include the “green” family, “blue relief”; decoration includes oak leaves, birds, animals, figures, coats of arms, Gothic scrolling leaves, “Persian palmettos”, “peacock-feather eyes”, and “San Bernardino rays”
• IMPORTANT CENTRES OF PRODUCTION Florence,
Faenza, Orvieto, Naples, and Deruta
1500-1600
• BODY increasingly refined
• GLAZE whiter, particularly bianco di Faenza
• PALETTE high-fired colours, including a deep sky blue and orange; a deep lapis blue in Faenza; metallic lustring in Gubbio and Deruta
• STYLES istoriato (narrative); a quartieri (quartered); compendiario (sketchy); belle donne (beautiful women)
• DECORATION grotesques; biblical or mythological scenes taken from printed sources or after famous painters; garlands, arabesques, trophies of arms, portrait medallions
• FORMS Ilbarclli, large dishes and bowls, storage jars
• IMPORTANT I CENTRES OF PRODUCTION Cafaggioio,
Casteldurante, Critelli, Deruta, Faenza, Gubbio, Montelupo, Pesaro, Rimini, Siena, Urbino, and Venice

Console, side, and pier tables
Tables conceived to stand against walls were first recorded in the 15rh century and served as both serving tables and sideboards. It was not until the 17th century that purely ornamental pier tables came into fashion. Invariably executed in giltwood, often by a specialist carver or sculptor, the finest Roman side tables of the 1670s and 1680s are characterized by their thick, marble slabs supported by boldly scrolled foliage, acanthus, and mythological figures. Not to be outdone Louis XIV had pier tables designed for him with caryatid, putto, and scrolled dolphin supports, and side tables, usually gilded, with thick marble tops; legs draped withlain1hrccluins and foliage, are either figurative or of tapered licrin form, joined by a waved and scrolled X-shaped stretcher.
THE 18TH CENTURY
The general pattern of the Louis XIV side table was inspirational to cabinet-makers throughout Europe and following the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685), when Huguenot craftsmen settled in England, English side tables became increasingly elaborate and sophisticated, with oyster-veneered parquetry, marquetry, or even inlay in the style of Charles-Andre Boulle (1642-1732).
Lord Burlington (1694-1753) and the architect William Kent (c.1685-1748) returned from the Grand Tour in 1719. Kent revolutionized the design of English side tables bringing to them a Baroque magnificence. Usually of giltwood or mahogany, his tables arc characterized by their architectural design and grandeur, embellished mainly with Vitrux-ian -scroll, guilloche, or Greek-key fret mouldings.
Defined 1w their bracket construction and designed to be affixed to the wall, console tables arc first recorded Ili the late 17th century. Kent is credited with the design of consoles supported by the splayed wings of Jupiter’s eagle, arguably the most celebrated George II pattern. The luxurious tradition of Louis XIV consoles, usually of giltwood, oak, or walnut, survived during the Regence (1715-23). Principally designed as stands to support expensive and exotically figured marble tops, they are usually serpentine-fronted and supported by tapering, double C-scroll front legs, perhaps headed by espagnolette masks or dragons, while the X-shaped stretchers are often centred by gadrooncd finials or urns. Louis XV consoles arc closely related in form to their way to a taste for or the exotic and Oriental, particularly
giving chinoiserie and Turkish motifs, before finally in to Neo-classicism in the 1760s.
Ili England the architects Sir William Chambers 1723-96) and Robert Adam ( 1728-92) revolutionized the design of English side, pier, and console tables during the late 18th century. Side tables were often gilded or of carved mahogany; pier tables tend to be either rectangular or semi-ch ptical, their panelled friezes perhaps fluted or centred by breakfront tablets, and
the legs either tapered or turned and fluted, possibly even headed by Neo-classical urnsand standing oil stepped block feet. From the I770s the tops of ornamental pier tables were frequently decorated with marquetry. Plainer examples, often in satinwood and inlaid with fans, flutes, husks, and richly figured woods, were also supplied in pairs. During the 1780s
there was a fashion for semi-elliptical pier tables that were painted, often on satinwood, with flowers, Musical trophies and Classical vignettes. A loading influence in the late 1780s was the Prince of Wales (later George IV) who, with his architect Henry Holland (1745-1806), 45-1806), promoted the fashion for tables in the elegant Louis XVI style. Often of “white and gold”, although those of satinwood and mahogany often inlaid with shells or simply crossbanded still found favour, late Georgian tables are light and delicate fit form.
The fashion for Neo-classical marquetry side tables was reflected throughout Europe and North America, perhaps nowhere more prolifically than in Italy, where the name of the Milanese cabinet-maker Giuseppe Nlaggiolilii (1738-1814) has since become synonymous With furniture decorated with magnificent arabesque marquetry, sphinxes, and mythological trophies. However, cabinet-makers such as David Roentgen (1743-1807) fit Germany, Georg Haupt (1741-84) Ili Sweden, and Thomas Seymour (1;’71-1848) in North America were also keen exponents of - marquetry Ili the Neo-classical style.
THE 19TH CENTURY
The console table represents arguably the purest expression of the Empire style. Inspired by the architectural schemes proposed by Napoleon I’s architects, Pierre Fontaine (c.1762-1853) and Charles Percier (1764-1838), in their Reciueil de decorations interieures (1801), as well as by the publication of Aventures damps /,7 passe et la haute Egypte (1802) by Baron Vivant Derion (1747-1825), Empire consoles are usually rectangular in form. Their overhanging marble slab tops supported by Egyptian winged perm-caryatids, griffins, and sphinxes, arc designed to be reflected by their mirrored backs often mounted with superb chased and burnished ormolu, the burnished areas often deliberately contrasted with “antique” urigildcd bronze elements. Although they are usually executed in the finest figured mahogany, the British blockade of 1806 pushed the prices up prohibitively and forced ebeizistes (cabinet-makers) to resort to such indigenous woods as maple, ash, elm, and walnut. The Empire style was embraced in Germany by Karl Friedrich Schinkel (17811841) of Berlin, and in Britain Thomas Hope (1769-1831) included several designs for console and side tables with winged griffin and sphinx supports in his Household Furniture and Interior Decoration Executed from Designs 1)), Thomas Hope ( 1807). The mounts of Regency mahogany tables were more restrained and sparse, their “Grecian” ornaments – wreaths, palmettos, patcrae, sphinxes, and lion-masks – often being carved.
From c.1815, side tables and consoles became increasingly elaborate in both form and decoration. The Buhl revival of the 1820s, as well as the fashion under the French King Charles X (1824-30) for furniture en hoist Clair (pale wood), gradually gave way to the Gothic Revival of the 1820s and 1830s, a style in England identified with William Beckford ( 1760-1844) and subsequently A.W.N. Pugin (1812-52). From c.1830, consoles in the Louis XV or Rococo Revival taste again became fashionable; these were gradually superceded by an enthusiasm for all things Italian – particularly of Baroque and, subsequently, Renaissance design including the Milanese ebony side tables inlaid with ivory and copied by the English firm of Gillow (est.
c.1730) of Lancaster.
• REGARDING the fashion for regilding in the 18th and 19th centuries often results in less crisp detailing, as the carved decoration becomes obscured under lavers of gesso and gilding; it is not uncommon to find 18th-century furniture with four or five layers of gilding or gold-painted decoration; the commercial value of a piece of giltwood furniture is affected by the quality and condition of the giltwood surface.
• FAKES many giltwood console tables in the style of Kent have been faked; the provenance of the piece is therefore important
• COLLECTING the variety of tables is huge and usually there is something available for every pocket; many console tables were made as vehicles for the expensive marble that topped them, and those examples that retain their original tops will command a premium; pier tables were usually made in pairs, and the value is considerably more.