Antique French Empire period commode or chest

The French Empire style was popular in France from the late 18th to early 19th centuries, during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte from 1799 to 1804 as consul and from 1804-1815 as emperor. The style is characterized by grand, imposing pieces that feature clean lines, geometric shapes, and a focus on symmetry.

The furniture is typically made from dark, rich woods such as mahogany, ebony, and rosewood, and is often decorated with gilded bronze mounts and ormolu, a type of brass casting. Furniture pieces in the French Empire style include sofas, armchairs, chaise longues, desks, and cabinets, all of more... which feature simple, rectilinear shapes and strong vertical and horizontal lines.

In addition to furniture, the French Empire style also encompasses a wide range of decorative arts, including lighting fixtures, clocks, and objets d'art. These items are often adorned with classical motifs, such as eagles, lions, and laurel leaves, which symbolize strength and power.

The French Empire style was highly influential and was exported to other countries, where it was adapted and modified to suit local tastes. less...

Until the mid-19th century, the standard chest had either four long, or three long and two short drawers. Rarely were there any exceptions to this rule. A chest with three drawers, or a series of small upper drawers, purporting to be Georgian, will probably have been converted from a chest-on-chest or tallboy. It is true that the 18th century commode often contain two long deep drawers, but this was a much grander and more decorative piece altogether, intended for drawing rooms, not bedrooms, and in any case was usually made to stand on legs. The standard chest more... of drawers continued to be made throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries (some Edwardian pine chests even had bracket feet), but variations were introduced during the mid-Victorian period, with some chests having seven or more drawers usually a deep hat drawer and smaller glove compartments. Chests with barley-sugar twist or split bobbin-turned supports date from the mid-19th century. less...