French Provincial Fruitwood Commode with Quatrefoil Carvings

A 19th century French provincial large fruitwood commode, of serpentine form with two short over three full width drawers, fancy shaped and engraved backplate handles. Pegged construction, quatrefoil carved side panels. One leg broken requiring attention. 50.00 in. x 33.07 in.mm x 43.31 in.

You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.

Commode - The word "commode" when used to describe an item of furniture, has three usuages:

1. As used to describe an item of English furniture, it refers to what is euphemistically called a 'night table', that is a small cabinet concealing a chamber pot.

2. In its 18th century French usuage it describes a low and highly decorated chest of drawers for salons and reception rooms. A bombe commode is a commode with rounded sides and front, giving the chest a somewhat swollen look.

3. It is also used to denote a half round or serpentine shaped cabinet, with panelled doors, standing on legs. They were pieces on which the cabinetmaker lavished his most accomplished art, with rich veneers, marquetry inlays, gilt mounts and other ornamentation.
Quatrefoil - A stylised four-circle design, itself contained within a larger circle, with Gothic origins and often seen as window designs in ecclesiastical architecture. The use of the motif was popular in Gothic Revival furniture of the 19th century.
Fruitwood - A catch-all term used to describe the wood of any of several fruit-bearing trees, such as the apple, cherry, or pear, used especially in cabinetmaking.

With a blond colour when finished, fruitwood was used in Europe, especially France, in the 18th and 19th centuries for larger items of furniture such as tables, chairs, cabinets and bookcases but in England its use was generally restricted to decorative elements such as inlays.
Panels - Timber pieces, usually of well-figured wood either recessed or applied over the frames of doors and as decoration elsewhere in the carcase of cabinet furniture. The panels may take a variety of shapes rectangular, square, shield shape, oval, half-round or in the form of Egyptian pylons.
Serpentine - Resembling a serpent, in the form of an elongated 'S'. A serpentine front is similar to a bow front, except that the curve is shallow at each end, swelling towards the middle. The term presumably derives from its similarity to a moving snake or serpent. Serpentine fronts are usually veneered, with the carcase either being cut and shaped from a solid piece of timber, or built in the 'brick' method.

This item has been included into following indexes: