18th C. French Neoclassical Fruitwood Commode with Black Marble Top

A chest of drawers in the French neoclassical manner, three small drawers across the top over three graduated long drawers below, each fitted with brass pulls and reeded, turned legs at the front corners. The case is solid fruitwood, left in its natural tone rather than veneered, and topped with a black marble slab. The proportions, straight case, tapered legs, and restrained brass hardware, place it in the Louis XVI period, when the curves of the preceding Rococo gave way to the architectural lines drawn from classical antiquity.

Fruitwood, meaning cherry, pear, or walnut cut and worked as solid timber rather than veneer, was a common choice for provincial French furniture of the period, valued for its close grain and the way it darkened and deepened with age. Chests of this form and scale were made throughout the last decades of the 18th century, meant for a bedroom or dressing room rather than a formal reception space.

Style: French, Neoclassical
Materials & Techniques: Fruitwood, black marble top, brass hardware
Place of Origin: France
Period: Late 18th century