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A 19th Century English Rosewood Collector's Chest or Bank of Lockable Drawers.

Made in England in the middle of the 19th century, this fine piece of furniture was designed as the filing cabinet of its day. It incorporates two independent banks of five drawers, each of which can be locked shut using a hinged strip to the sides of the piece. The drawers are finely graduated in size and could have been used to contain important paperwork and documents or, equally likely, a collection of pieces such as shells, coins or archaeological finds etc. Taller chests of this sort with a single bank of drawers are known as Wellington chests, the Duke of Wellington having taken one on campaign. Our piece, like its taller cousins, stands on a simple plinth base making it a very solid and practical piece of furniture.

This piece is veneered throughout in rosewood of wonderful colour and figure, even the turned knobs being made from the same timber. The wavy grain on the drawer fronts and, in particular, on the top is spectacular to look at.

H 103cm x W 138cm x D 41cm
H 40½” x W 54¼” x D 16¼”