Antique Chests
An English 19th c. Wellington / Campaign Chest.
An English 19th c. Wellington / Campaign Chest in Mahogany, a rare model fitted with a desk and side locking mechanism, museum ... Find out more
A very good antique Campaign Chest
A very good antique Colonial Campaign Chest lined in camphorwood fitted with a desk ... Find out more
A very good quality extra grade Colonial Campaign chest with fitted desk.
A very good quality extra grade 19th century Colonial Campaign chest with fitted desk and fitted stationery drawer, lined in Camphorwood. The chest has been made to the very best standards, it is virtually impossible to feel the join between the wood and the brass fittings on the chest. ... Find out more
Dutch Marquetry 18th century bombe commode
A superb Dutch Marquetry 18th century bombe commode. The commode is in very good condition and has a really superb shape and curve to ... Find out more
An English chart or map chest
An English chart or map chest, we have 2 of them one in oak one in mahogany. ... Find out more
An 18th century Channel Islands antique chest on chest in mahogany
A late 18th century Channel Islands antique chest on chest in mahogany, in very good condition and all drawers work very smoothly.
The chest is in mahogany that is of the most glorious color and patina. The chest is also decorated with fine "fan" ... Find out more
An English antique chest on chest in mahogany
A Very Good English Antique Mahogany Georgian Period Chest on Chest with a Folding Slide and Architectural ... Find out more
A Rare Antique Dutch Marquetry Tambour Front Commode on Cabriole legs
A Rare Antique Dutch Marquetry Tambour Front Commode on Cabriole legs. Profulsely inlaid with floral ... Find out more
A Very Good Dutch Early 19th Century Dutch Marquetry antique Tall Chest of Drawers
This most decorative piece is profusely decorated on the drawer fronts with flowers, leaves and other naturalistic forms. The side of the chest is more elaborate having a large inlaid urn which is cascading with flowers,birds and ... Find out more
An overview of antique English and French chests, dressers and commodes
In antique terms, the word chest covers a large variety of antique furniture items. From the earliest of times when a box with a lid was all some families owned as far as furniture possessions to the superb creations of the International exhibitions of the mid to late 19th century, a "chest" is often a persons first purchase in antique furniture. A chest of drawers in England is a dresser in America, a chest on chest in England is often referred to as a highboy or tallboy in America, but with all its interpretations, the chest is a very good way of describing many of these pieces. Daniels Antiques has many types of antique chests in inventory. We have map chests used for laying down maps, plans, charts etc. We also offer campaign chests (two piece chests used by the armies when they went on military campaigns in the 19th century) which officers purchased these for their belongings. Campaign chests were usually made in 2 sections a top and a bottom each of simple form so they could be easily moved to their destination without worries of damage to trim work or carvings that would characterize a more conventional chest of drawers made for the home. Such campaign chests often were fitted with a secretaire drawer for composing letters to loved ones thousands of miles away.
Commode is another term often used for a rather ornate chest, particularly for this type of cabinet furniture made in France in the 18th and 19th centuries. Also, in 18th and early 19th century England, particularly in the Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Sheraton and Regency periods, chests of shaped (non-rectangular) forms (such as serpentine or bombé) and often with panelled doors and profusely inlaid with marquetry of exotic woods were referred to as commodes.
So over the years the word chest has been banded around, but it still remains in antique furniture terms a piece with many uses.