crazy chest

[bwiegand]

been in the family for years.  Has two devils heads hidden in the artwork.  any ideas...help?

[talesofthesevenseas]

How big is it, first of all and can you post some photos of your devils? What looks demonic to modern eyes may have been seen a little differently in earlier times. There were a lot of traditional mythological faces like that of the North Wind and gargoyles on Victorian furniture that look pretty creepy to us now. Actual devils were sometimes portrayed on furniture that was used to tend the hearth- like a little devil might hang on the pull-chain for a chimney flue. I've seen some scary-looking faces on gothic furniture, violins, picture frames etc. and I've always felt that it represented something different to Victorians than it does to us. That it conveys a powerful, strong, mythological figure rather than a demon.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Also photos of the construction would help- Hinges, nails, screws, dovetailing, interior and back photos would all help tremendously to date it. VERY beautiful by the way!

[waywardangler]

It is tough to look at something sideways so I have rotated the pics for ease of viewing.  I could not see any devils but I could not increase the size to see details without the images becoming too pixilated.

[fancypants]

I'm having a devil of a time with the pixies too .

Perhaps a better lit image or two would help members see details better .

Ditto with what talesof said .

[KC]

LOL fancy!  Agree!

The Green Man was used in lots of furniture and on buildings!  Faces were used to ward off spirits, etc.  The look of the face matters as to the type it is.

[bwiegand]

The head can be seen here. I see no nails anywhere and the door has a pin in the top and bottom and that serves as the hinge. You can see a lock mechanism on the front also.

[waywardangler]

The head image looks more like Pan to me.

[bwiegand]

another pic of the lock

[bwiegand]

one better pic of the head...

[waywardangler]

Pan

[Omega Entity]

Or if not specifically Pan, then at the very least a Satyr...

[talesofthesevenseas]

The columns look like Egyptian revival lotus columns to me, which would have been all the rage in the 1920's after the discovery of King Tut's tomb. I'm betting your piece dates to the 1920's, and that it's a mix of mythological styles that the maker/artist liked. But I'm not an expert.
Here's an example of a lotus column. There are a couple of basic lotus column styles used in Egyptian temple architecture that became popularized on furniture in the 20's.

Here is a chart of Egyptian revival lotus columns:

And an example of their use on fireplace andirons:

[waywardangler]

Omega, I think you are correct.  Satyrs were used in decorations on Napolean III furniture designs.  I am not familar with any of the attributes of Napolean or Louis style furniture so maybe D&B or someone knowledgeable can interject on this one.

[bwiegand]

Here are some more pics.  I looked into the napoleon furniture and found some very similar items.  My Grandmother and Grandfather were Polish immigrants.  There was some speculation of Russian involvement during the "commy" phase. It was never proven although it was looked into by the government.  My mother never seemed for sure though. (she passed away on the 23rd of last month by the way.  I wish I would have done this with her she would have loved it she was so curious about this piece.  I guess you have to know when to spend time with family.)  I always figured it to be Polish or Russian.  I have a feeling the napoleon direction may be correct though but I am no expert obviously! Two more pics to follow...There is a cord hanging out the back someone modified it with a hole and stuck a cord in at some point....And there is an upholstery tack in one pic by the screw...my Grandfather was an upholsterer.