Spice Cabinet

[Rauville]

Are these two doves inlaid..or overlaid?...this looks like marquetry....on a bigger scale

The doves are inlaid. Probably taking it off the wall would be the first thing I should do...maybe later.

It's strange...but I never remember seeing an actual wooden spice cabinet being used as such while I was growing up. It wasn't until they became an "antique" that they seemed to appear. 

[bigwull]

Are these two doves inlaid..or overlaid?...this looks like marquetry....on a bigger scale

The doves are inlaid. Probably taking it off the wall would be the first thing I should do...maybe later.

It's strange...but I never remember seeing an actual wooden spice cabinet being used as such while I was growing up. It wasn't until they became an "antique" that they seemed to appear. 

That,s probably because your mind was on other things....and anything that was old....was instantly relegated to a memory bank....and stored for future reference...

[ghopper1924]

Wooden spice cabinets were popular at least until WWII.

This one, I think, is much older. It has some heavy folk art influence as well. A price in the thousands does not surprise me, even if it IS optimistic on the seller's part.

[bigwull]

Wooden spice cabinets were popular at least until WWII.

This one, I think, is much older. It has some heavy folk art influence as well. A price in the thousands does not surprise me, even if it IS optimistic on the seller's part.

i,m confused again...what one does,nt surprise you?...if its the one that i,ve pointed out....well all i can say is....i,d be in shock if it was worth anything like a couple of hundred,let alone thousands..and as for the seller being optimistic....i,d say he needs his head looking into....over here i,ve seen better sell for next to no money....i suggest you take a look at some of the online auctions that take place every week here in Scotland...and after seeing what sells here...you might find yourself on a flight over here with a big empty box....

http://www.taylors-auctions.com/acatalog/Images_Furniture__Sale_Images___13th_October_2012_3.html#tabsTop

[KC]

Beautiful piece.

Could you please post a pic of the back side?

I am bewildered...on the 2nd pic...is that a metal strip with a hanging hole - right hand side bottom of piece?

[bigwull]

That,s for hanging it on the wall...but it will probably be out of site as its no doubt held with a single screw at the rear...and may have just slipped....Hawkeye. ...

[Rauville]

Beautiful piece.

Could you please post a pic of the back side?

I am bewildered...on the 2nd pic...is that a metal strip with a hanging hole - right hand side bottom of piece?

Those lower metal strips appear to be part of the original design to anchor it to the wall. They are actually inlet into the body of the cabinet.

[jacon4]

"In medieval Europe, a pound of saffron cost the same as a horse. Spices were an economic force that carved ancient trade routes over land and 16th-century circumnavigation by sea. From the West Indies and beyond, spices came into Colonial Philadelphia for sale to the wealthy. In 17th-century England, and then in the colonies, valuable spices were often locked up in spice boxes.

18th century American spice boxes are a very big deal to collectors, i have seen them go for  hundreds of thousands or more, particularly from Pennsylvania. This lil guy below went for over 100k last year

[ghopper1924]

"i,m confused again...what one does,nt surprise you?..."

Actually both, come to think of it. The price on the one you linked to doesn't surprise me, just because of some of the loons on E-Bay. I think we've got an ongoing thread about that.

And more importantly it wouldn't surprise me if the spice rack in question wasn't worth some heavy coin, and for real(s) As Sir Paul said in better days..."I've got a feeling, yeah!"

[greenacres]

Rauville, you might have hit the lottery, lol. I would never sell it though.

[bigwull]

I would!

[jacon4]

I would agree the OP spice box is a one of a kind folk art type deal, it's most likely 20th century so i wouldnt know about value but certainly it's in the several hundred dollar range. I would add that spice boxes are still being made today although not for holding spices like in days long ago. The southern colonies had lockable sugar chests that were in use well into the 19th century and are very popular with collectors today. It's odd to think now that spices, salt, sugar were once upon a time in America very valuable, so valuable they were kept under locks & keys but, they were.

I would add theres another possibility, a seed chest. I am guessing there are no markings to identify what was held in drawers?

Heres an example of a late 19th century (1880s) seed chest

http://www.donolsonantiques.com/prod.php?pNum=3&name=Beautiful+Diminutive+Paint+Decorated+SEED+CHEST.....SOLD

[bigwull]

I think you may just have hit the nail on the head with this link....although not near as ornate as Rauville,s...the design is very similar...

[jacon4]

Generally speaking, spice boxes have a lockable door that closes over small drawers & the drawers are sometimes lined with tin or zinc to keep the contents as fresh as possible. In looking at OP chest again, I am guessing it is most likely a seed chest. Seed chests are very collectible as well, if i was OP I'd have someone examine the construction details who knew what they were looking at, round nails were available in the late 19th century.

[ghopper1924]

Unless that piece below the drawer plinth was salvage, I would say this dates to the 19th century.  The sawmarks on the backing piece make me think so, too. I agree with Jacon that this piece should be appraised.