Help to Identify Cupboard Please

[Loki]

I would like to know anything at all about this piece.  It has been in the family for ages, but details are now forgotten.  What is it for?  How old is it?  Is it worth insuring (it's not for sale).

It is wider at the back than at the front.  It is approx 26 and a half inches high.
The back measures 18 and a half inches across and the front is 15 and a half inches.
Front to back it is 13 and a half inches.

There are two drawers and a cupboard in between.
The shelf in the cupboard appears to be a painted tray and we thought it was for games, but it is not obvious what they would be.

The door is designed to lift off it's hinges to take out the shelf/tray.  There is an additional piece that is nailed to the inside of the door, it might have been added at a later date to house smoking pipes, or it may be original.

The joints appear to be hand made rather than machine cut.  The ironwork appears fairly crude.

The castors are made of leather.  The ornamentation is no longer on the front legs but we still have them.

The back of the piece is also ornate as though it was meant to be seen.

The front of the piece is slightly bowed or serpentine (sorry don't know the terminology).
Any hints would be gratefully received.

[waywardangler]

i am not a furniture expert so I do not know what you have but the wood veneers are very figured. I think this was a high quality piece in its day. The crude ironwork you refer to is not the nicely detailed handles that have beautiful patina is it? I think those are great and remind me of Arts & Crafts but the rest of the cabinet does not. My guess is was some type of smoking stand with the drawers holding cigars and the holder in the door for pipes.

[Loki]

Lovely patina if it is ever sold, which is unlikely because we love it.  It probably needs a bit of restoration because of staining and water stains to the top, but we think it gives character.  I would like to find out it's age or even what it could be called, not found it's like on the internet.

[mart]

I think it is a smoking stand !! Looks to be all original to me !! Pipes, cigars ect were an occassion that gentlemen went all out for back then !!  From appearances and without seeing the construction I would date the piece around 1900 or shortly before from the style.

[Loki]

Thank you Mart, that's helpful.  I will have another look around the internet for "smoking stand". 

[mart]

Try smoking cabinet or cupboard as well !! Have no idea what the original name would have been !!  Back then the gentlemen would have "retired to the library" to enjoy their cigars or pipes !! It could have had some sort of games as well I guess !!

[Loki]

Thanks Mart, I found something similar under the generic "stand" but many differences.  I am not sure which period I should be looking for.  I was told that the dove tails are hand made which should mean it is "early" whatever that means, but the screws that hold the ironwork on look machine made.  I could add photos of the construction, but you would have to tell me what to look for!

[waywardangler]

Have you looked underneath the bottom, under the drawers, and inside the cabinet with a flashlight for any manufacturer marks whatsoever?

[Loki]

I have not taken a flashlight to the inside, I don't recall finding anything on the underside or the drawers.  I will have a look tomorrow when the light is better and report back if I find anything.  Thanks for the suggestion!

[KC]

Definitely a smoking cabinet.  These were prominently displayed in the parlor (a gentleman's proud piece)...so the back being finished is right in line with that!

[Loki]

Thanks KC.  We know there was money in the family at the beginning of the last century, (sadly not this century) and we suspect the piece came from that side, but we are not sure.  I had assumed that the addition of the rack for pipes had been added at a later date.  The outside is so much finer than the inside which frankly is "clunky".

[mart]

I would classify your cabinet as Craftsman style which was from around 1880 to about 1915,, give or take a year or two !!   Thats where I would look if it were me !!  There are some variations in your cabinet but its more craftsman than anything else !!

[Loki]

Thanks Mart, that's helpful.  We have gone for years not knowing what it was, I am starting to think that I had better take it down to a reputable antiquarian (if I can find one) and get an appraisal for insurance.  Maybe put the decorations back on the front legs.  Are they called ormolu?  So far I have resisted "cleaning" them.  It is getting quite exciting finding out about it.  I just hope it is not worth too much, I like it too much to sell, but with rising fuel bills and everything else, hubby might view it differently

[Loki]

Well, I have taken out the drawers and looked for any markings on everything and there are none.  There is no actual base.    The woodworking looks very rough and ready compared with the outside, I can supply more pics if it would help.  The castors are metal and not leather as I had thought.  A key has turned up for it.  I had thought it was for a clock not my dainty cupboard, it seems very large!  I will have to buy it a tassle.

A tray has also turned up.  The handles on the tray are not identical to the ones on the drawers.  The tray has a chequer board inlayed and the wood has been dyed and the colours are very similar to that of the tray in the cupboard.  There are also diamond patterns on either side, not exact but similar to that of the cupboard. 

[mart]

Keep all those pieces and especially the key with the cabinet !! Those add dollars to the sale price !! Offhand I don`t think that your cabinet is extremely valuable but it should bring in the $400. to $500. dollar range !! And get an experienced woodworker to put the pieces back on that are missing in the pics !! To bring top dollar it needs to be complete, original, and in good condition. A little polish or lemon oil and thats it !! Smoking items are highly collected by some !!