Hi everyone!
This is my first time posting here and I'm very new to the world of antiques, but I can't wait to learn more and welcome any feedback/advice anyone has to offer!!
I'm looking for a little help identifiying whether the commode I've just aquired is a real antique, an old reproduction, or a newer reproduction that was poorly cared for. I've done a ton of internet research over the past few days and still can't really tell what I have here. I'm hoping a few of you on this forum with more expierience could offer some guidence.
Style - from comparing my piece to others on the internet, I'm guessing its a Louis XV style bombe marquetry (or maybe parquetry because the veneer is more graphic than floral in nature) commode.
History - I salvaged this piece from an abandoned office space after employees and commercial furniture dealers declined to purchase it. From what I've heard, a former owner of the company brought it into the office space 15-20 years ago or so because his wife no longer wanted it.
Construction - I have no idea about types of woods unfortunately so I'm at a loss about the type of lighter wood veneer or the species of the frame construction. My best guess is the outside dark part is mahogany veneer (in the one area of cracking, it appears rather thick, with a deep red-brown color). The drawers are dovetailed construction. I can't find any nails or screws in the construciton of the frame, but there are small nails & some flat head screws fastening the brass ornaments to the piece. The sides appear to be solid wood. Overall the piece was not very heavy (without the marble top). The marble top is in excellent shape. I can see cut marks inside the piece & they're irregular, like a hand saw would make. I can also see pencil marks and scrambled calculations on different pieces inside. One joint is a little loose and I can see a dowel inside. Here's the kicker though & the part that's throwing me off - the bottom edge of the curved drawer front is some kind of plywood! The layers look thicker than modern day plywood though. And beyond the pencil scrawlings, there is a stamp on the back frame & all I can read is "A I(or D) E N S P A".
Condition - the piece shows many signs of wear or poor storage. The gloss finish is starting to crack away from the wood in some areas. And some of the cracks seem to have water damage underneath. It doesn't look like the piece was left outside (doesn't looked rained on) but it may have been in a damp basement/garage for a while. There are is an area of chipped veneer on the right side, as well as an area of bubbled veneer. The ormulu (is that correct?) or brass ornament is all there, with 90% of the fasteners in place, and non of it looks like its been replaced. The joints are slightly loose, but fairly solid and the drawers fit & slide well, but don't line up perfectly in the center.
I've posted some pictures to photobucket at the link below:
http://s773.photobucket.com/albums/yy18/iheartdesign09/Have a look and let me know what you think. I can't wait to hear some opinions from folks with more expierience with this stuff than I have!
Here's my best novice guess:
I think it's a reproduction, but an old reproduction. I've read that plywood was invented after 1860, and that lesser-quality furniture makers sometimes covered cheaper woods with more expensive veneers to save costs. I've also read that depression era furniture was made very cheaply. My best guess is that the stamp is an incomplete "MADE IN SPAIN", but I'm not totally sure about that because the "IN" looks awful tiny to be two letters. My other guess is "IDE N SPA" but I have no idea what that could mean. I haven't found any publications that can tell me when plywood began to be used in furniture so I just can't figure that part out. I would be incredibly happy if this was a lower quality, older, reproduction. I would be terribly sad if this turned out to be a crappy recently manufactured reproduction that was poorly stored and therefore feels old. But hey, even if that's the case, at least it's still pretty.
Can't wait to hear what you think!!
Thank you all so very much!!
(please excuse any spelling errors)
