A stunning and rare one of a kind miniature furniture piece, this 6-drawer upright chest represents the work of a very skilled apprentice to a French Ebaniste, ebeniste, (cabinet maker) and was made to scale to exhibit the skill level he had attained by this point in his training. All hardware would have been designed and cast by the apprentice, all veneers and the total construction of the scaled down furniture piece done entirely by hand, by one "student" of a Master cabinetry teacher. This one is best of best, in our many years of searching these out. Dating mid-1800s, it shows very little flaw of its years. These are highly sought after by collectors of antique dolls, of course, for their displays. But also is a fine tabletop jewelry or collection cabinet, as you see in our photos. Chevrons of kingwood accented delicately by a contrasting stringing of lemonwood. Beautiful from all angles. The drawers are lined in a red felting, showing age but no staining or odors, and possibly original but I think added maybe 100 years ago. 22" Tall, A hair under 12" wide, and is 6" deep.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type, superbly crafted entirely by hand, even the hardware represents one of a kind detailing created by the apprentice, or student, mastering the art of a French cabinet maker. Obvious to us whomever he was, he went on to success. The backing panel has an age/drying split (see images), drawers are dovetailed, fit smoothly. Very little if any nips to the superb veneer work, and no missing hardware or trim. Cabriole legs, no breaks. Gorgeous old thing!
