Chest of Drawers

A number of revolutionary changes in English furniture occurred in the second half of the 17th century.  Notable among these was the chest of drawers replacing the joined chest with lifting lid as the principal piece of storage furniture in the homes of fashionable gentry and merchants. This innovation provided more convenient access to the contents and allowed easier separation of the items stored.

Significant changes also occurred in furniture construction and decoration.  A new craftsman, the cabinetmaker, constructed the carcass of a chest of inexpensive pine or oak fitted tightly together by the use of dovetails, and then covered or veneered it with thin slices of more expensive, sometimes exotic woods with highly figured or richly colored grains.  The pine and oak carcass of this chest is veneered with panels of concentric-grained imported olivewood outlined and framed by contrasting walnut and boxwood.  The result is an appearance of great richness and elegance.  The turned feet are typical of the end of the 17th century.