Queen Anne style walnut bookcase on stand, late 18th century
A Queen Anne style dome top walnut bookcase on stand, late 18th/19th century, the twin door arching case with ebonised glazing bars, raised on a stand with five drawers, the shaped skirt above knopped supports united by os-de-mouton stretchers, with decorative borders of cross and feather banding to the drawers, 82.68 in. high, 39.76 in. wide, 18.70 in. deep
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- Astragal / Glazing Bars - An astragal, bead or glazing bar is the term used to describe the wooden strips that divide the glass in a cabinet into sections. However it can also refer to the narrow beading on a multi-door cabinet or bookcase that covers the gap between the doors, when they are closed. The astragal is usually attached to the inner stile of the left-hand door (or the right hand as you look at it).
- Glazing Bars - Thin astragal mouldings, almost always of timber, behind which glass panes in bookcases, china cabinets, kitchen dressers, and so on are fixed. The glass is either puttied in or held by thin beads. Old hand-made glass should show imperfections, such as bubbles and ridges when looked at obliquely against the light, something which is not found in modem factory-made glass. The joints of the glazing bars should always be neatly mitred.
A cheap shortcut is to apply false glazing bars over a single pane of glass, and this indicates either an item of modern manufacture, or a later conversion, where the panelled door of a press or wardrobe has had a glass front fitted, and the article turned into a 'bookcase'. - Skirt - In furniture, the skirt is a strip of wood underneath the top or front of the item. On chairs, the skirt is the support under the seat joining the legs, while on tables, the skirt is the support under the top, that assists in supporting the top and also joins the legs. On carcase furniture such as chests and cabinets, the skirt is the timber strip immediately under the drawers or cupboard.
- Ebonised - Timber that has been stained or lacquered black in imitation of ebony. The process has been used since the Renaissance, but is most commonly found in late 19th century furniture, sometimes gilded and turned in imitation of bamboo. Furniture with an ebonised finish is not currently in vogue, and this is reflected in the price for such pieces.
- Feather Banding - Inlaid banding found on the edges of tables, drawers and other items, where two strips of veneer are laid at right angles to each other, but at 45 degrees to the perimeter of the edge, to give a herringbone effect.
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