Help with old walnut dresser

[Bokate]

This piece is somewhat confusing to novices like us.
We would like to post pictures and hopefully discover some more-detailed information about it --- age and approximate/general market value.
I have close-up photos of most aspects; --- pulls, jointery, hardware etc. but I'll start with just one or two overall views.
Thanks in advance; we are looking forward to participating here and learning........... ..
Bob and Kate

[KC]

Hi! Welcome!  Can you please pots pics of pulls, side views of drawers, etc.

[Bokate]

Yes, I'm happy to do that.






Note that in the following picture the inside of the drawers is finished and has 1/4 bead corner trim!

[sapphire]

Welcome to the forum Bokate! I can advise you but there are others here who certainly can. Just give it a bit of time for people to pop in and reply. But just have to say I love it! Very simplistic beauty.........then again I'm a sucker for the older, wood furniture. 

[cogar]

When seeing the first pictures I thought it was a Depression era chest-of-drawers and stained a dark mahogany, ….. but the new pictures show it to be a tall “bow front” chest-of-drawers w/mirror, ….with the primary wood being solid walnut, …… and with the filigree being carved “in relief”.

I’ll guess and say, mid to late 1800’s and an expensive piece, ……. and then wait until D&B gives an expert’s assessment of it.

[Bokate]

I guess we'll just keep wondering about this dresser............ ...........

[Oceans64]

I think it's pretty hard to give definitive answers without being able to touch the piece and even then, unless you are an expert and see this stuff everyday, a lot of it is an educated guess.  I am not even close to being an expert…  I’m barely a student 

One of the best sites I have found is http://www.efi-costarica.com/ I would say go to that site and read about furniture styles, then finishes, maybe do a small test in an inconspicuous place, then move on to hardware, look at any nails (if applicable), examine the joints in the actual piece (in addition to drawers), etc…

After you have all of that information, you can make some decisions about what you think it is.  Then go to eBay to see the absolute rock bottom prices and the “Are you kidding me? You really like your furniture prices” and somewhere in the middle you have a value – closer to the bottom if you want to sell it at auction or to a dealer.  I would also visit a local antiques mall and maybe discuss consigning. It takes a long time but it’s worth the education and effort if you want to sell… 

If you don’t want to sell then the above site is going to give you lots of info. 

Also, I’m sure you’ve looked closely at all the drawers for marks or evidence of old marks. I would crawl inside (drawers removed of course) with a flashlight and look around the guts for more clues (nails, screws, marks).  Look closely – The mark I have on a piece is very easy to miss in the wrong light.

Sorry I can’t be of more help. I’m just passing on what I’ve learned in the past few months.  I have a table and I wanted someone to tell me everything about it but it’s almost impossible. It’s frustrating but there it is…  I could give you my opinion but I’d probably be wrong and I don’t want to mislead you. 

[mariok54]

Hi,

As with Oceans, I'm no expert, but a couple of points do jump out at me just from the photos. It does seem that there may be a mismatch with the handles and knobs? The bow front and reeded legs certainly give it a Regency look, but the engravings possibly would not have been common on such a piece at that time, inlaid beading and such like would maybe have been more common. Over here many of the nice pieces of that era would have been mahogany, but as I say, I'm no expert.  Could be a later Victorian piece in the Georgian style?
Are the drawers actually dovetailed? I only ask because some of those dovetails look so thin at the base I'm surprised they didn't snap off.
The finish on the top two drawers looks slightly different to the others, but that could just be the photo.The back, with the mirror, doesn't seem in keeping with the drawers (very plain), but it is hard to tell as there aren't any close-ups.
It's certainly an interesting piece, but difficult to pin down. Ocean's advice is sound, take a good look at its guts, that should tell you a bit more about its age.

[hosman321]

Sometimes pictures of the back of the piece can help as well. It can show method of construction.
Beautiful, by the way!

[KC]

You took the words right out of my fingers hosman321.  PIc of the back would help a whole lot.
You have so nicely displayed a pic of the inside of the drawer with the pull handles.....can you please post inside pics of the top drawers with knob pulls?
The handles with nuts are so indicative of furniture made in mid/late 1800's and very early 1900's.  Have dovetails made like this in this time period as well....made by a lesser known furniture maker with limited skills in this area - which, by-the-way, does not lessen the value.  (It could be an earlier made item of someone who becomes better adept and skilled. - the other parts of the piece reflect a whole different efficiency with skills.)

Are there any tool marks evident around the ornate design on the 2 drawers?

Also, background on this piece?  Did you just purchase it or know it's history?

[Bokate]

Ok, thanks for the replies. I'll get those pictures and post more information.

[Bokate]

Wow, this is a long post!
We very much appreciate the replies.  We are not looking for definitive answers or values of this piece. We have no intent to sell. We saw the dresser at a small shop in Wysox, PA and thought it would be a nice fit for one of our spare bedrooms. Knowing more about the origin and value sure would be nice, but not necessary for us to enjoy having it.

Ok, I’ll to try to provide specifics now:
I looked inside the drawers but, to my eye, there was nothing to see because there are dust covers built in between all the drawers. Photo below:


I also looked at the back for nails etc, but could only see some standard slotted screws. Of course I don’t know if the screws were original or replacements. Screws were also used on the mirror. Photos below:






Yes, those are dovetail joints on the drawers and I have seen similar narrow joints previously on a blanket chest that has been in my family for over 200 years.
Below is a photo of the joints used at the back end of the drawers. Note; there is no distinguishable difference in construction methods used anywhere on the piece.


Next is a photo of the hardware for the top drawer pulls.


Next is a photo showing the similar finish on top and lower drawers and also closer shots of the detail work – showing that the mirror and dresser engraving do match..






The next two photos show that the wood used on the dresser top, sides and also the mirror frame is laminate in about 3/16 thickness. The mirror has a core wood about 3/8 thick.






The last photos just show there is some serious checking of the broader panels of wood.
I’m showing this to ask; “should I inject glue and then clamp these panels………..?”

[hosman321]

I'm casting my vote for 1890 to 1905. What do you all think?

[mariok54]

I agree, in an earlier style.

[hosman321]

Yeah, colonial revival was hot in the 1890's-early 1900's. I see victorian mixed with colonial revial. A bit of info.
http://www.vintagedesigns.com/id/colrev/20thcent/sem/