French-antiques

Antique chest of drawers

Find an antique french chest of drawers

The chest of drawers appeared during the 17th C.  Until then clothes were stored in a  chest.  The chests later had a lower drawer and from this developped the principle of drawers placed on top of each others: the chest of drawers.  One of the first cabinet-makers to develop the chest of drawers was André Boulle, famous for his marquetry, who made a pair of chest of drawers for Louis XIV.  He also invented the "tombeau"  chest of drawers with its marble top. The Louis XV period  Rococo style chest of drawers followed, with its serpentine fronts and shaped sides, richly decorated with gilt bronze.  This was succeeded by the neo classic Louis XVI style chest of drawers.  In the 19th C the chest of drawers followed the Directoire, Empire, Louis Philippe and Napoleon III styles. The late 19th C sees the arrival of the teak military chest.




The most famous french chests of drawers are :

Louis XV chest of drawersLouis XVI chest of drawers - Louis-Philippe chest of drawers

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