Louis XIV Cherrywood Commode From France, Early 18th Century

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The straight grain and rich color of the cherry tree made it a desirable wood for constructing luxury furniture during … Read more The straight grain and rich color of the cherry tree made it a desirable wood for constructing luxury furniture during the 18th century. One beautiful example is our period Louis XIV commode, which was hand-carved in France in the early 1700’s.

Augmenting the lovely reddish-brown color of the commode is an arbalete top that slightly hangs over the three stacked drawers below. Each drawer has three bronze foliate fittings set inside geometric panels with recessed molding (two pierced foliate swag pulls flanking a small keyplate surrounded by a parted leaf). There is a unique, shallow pullout drawer with two concentric circle pulls built into the molded frieze. This drawer was most likely used to store jewelry and other small valuables.

Canted corners can be seen along the front of the shaped top, with elongated asymmetrical panels beneath that flank the tiers of drawers. A pair of shaped feet aligned with the canted sides are partially obscured by a thick skirt with multiple layers of molding, mirroring the frieze at the top (the two back feet are blocked). The position of the feet coupled with the protruding skirt give this commode a unique stance. The Louis XIV cherrywood commode will make a strong impression on any bedroom in which it is placed. See less