A Rare Queen Anne Period Burr Yew Veneered Cabinet On Chest

Veneered in well figured burr yew wood, the cabinet with an unusual cross grain moulded cornice incorporating a secret drawer. The twin doors with kingwood cross bandings and box wood stringing. The fully fitted interior with a central cupboard door and surrounding drawers all retaining their original pear drop handles. The base with three long drawers and again inlaid with geometric box wood lines; standing on bold bracket feet. The cabinet of excellent quality and colour throughout.

The quality of this cabinet is reflected in the choice of its burr yew veneers. Normally such examples would have been veneered in walnut but on rare occasions burr yew or elm would be selected although such timbers were kept for only the finest examples. This combined with the elaborate use of geometric inlay points to this cabinet being a premier example commissioned by a wealthy and important patron.

The cabinet has developed a wonderfully mellow colour so sought after in examples of good yew wood furniture and indeed is an excellent example of late 17th Century cabinet furniture. A related example commissioned by Edward Dryden during the early 18th Century can be seen at Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire.

To read more about the importance of patina on English furniture please read this article on our blog.

Literature

English Furniture, 1660-1714 A. Bowett pg. 205