A Wonderful George III Period Painted Dresser Base c.1780-1790

Object Description

The beautiful painted pine and oak carcass at five feet wide, having been dry scraped back to reveal the original tones of ivory and umber painted finish, now distressed commensurate with age, having a two plank oak top over two deep drawers, a central cupboard door and two pairs of lower arcaded door cupboard kennel doors, each with later brass patinated cup and knob handles, the central doors enclosing a shelf, the arcaded cupboards being vacant, the whole standing on a moulded plinth base and surviving largely in original condition from the George III period.

Object History

Unknown.

Object Literature

Finding a dresser base such as this in the original painted finish is always fantastic in its own right, but this example, with the two pairs of arcaded doors, is splendidly unusual and very seldom seen. The piece is provincial and possibly estate made.

A quite wonderful example in every way, and of which, one doesn’t expect to see quite the like of again.

Object Condition

The base shows some attractive wear and tear with scuffing and losses commensurate with its age and the process of dry scraping, which is of course the appeal, with the whole in largely original order and with the carcass structurally sound. There were at least four layers of paint over the original layer and we have scraped these away. Thus, there is now some remnants of blues, greens and browns amongst the ivory and gesso to the surface. The oak top has been so well used there are no signs of paint left, with the oak having a nice deep colour to it. The plinth base to one flank is a later replacement and matched in. The knobs are later, being brass, but are Victorian additions so have a nice patination to them in their own right. All of the cupboard doors are functioning nicely and the middle door has the original iron catch to one side. We have given her a light wax to now protect the paintwork.

Object Details