18TH CENTURY GEORGIAN MAHOGANY DIMINUTIVE SCALE MAHOGANY LINEN PRESS
Thank you for shopping with Bay Colony Antiques. We're a third generation family owned business furnishing homes all over the world. We aggressively pursue important antiques, decorative arts, and objects of interest for our most discerning clients.
We're proud to offer for sale this great diminutive 18th century Georgian Period antique mahogany linen press. This two part cabinet is crafted from the most select grade of Caribbean mahogany. Caribbean mahogany is the finest in the world with special oil density & minerals giving the wood its lustrous sheen. The demand for mahogany saw this exotic species harvested to near extinction. The remaining trees today are protected and a magnificent sight to see. Modern woods sold as "mahogany" are generally African hardwoods with a simple grain structure that can't hold a flame to old growth Cuban, Santo Domingan & Honduran mahogany. This linen press possesses remarkable scale and form and is more diminutive than most examples we see.
The lower portion stands on molded bracket feet with a 2 over 1 drawer configuration. The upper drawers have great brass pulls that double as an escutcheon plate. The lower drawer has matching hardware less the escutcheon holes with a smaller scale escutcheon plate congruent with the design. The drawers are all dovetail construction rich with old tool & scribe marks. Each drawer retains their old brass lock and this did come to us with a working key. The upper section features two bookmatched mahogany paneled doors with original brass lock & hardware are right off the charts. We have clients and followers within all tiers of collecting. Many are quite knowledgeable and many come to learn more about their passions. When we use the term bookmatched envision a vertical line right through the middle of this piece. The crotch mahogany panels on the doors are subsequent cuts and intentionally mirror each other. People often ask us what sets an item from the better - best tier and then on into the stratospheric tier. Fine nuances and attention to detail such as this are all things to consider when critically examining antiques. This cabinet was converted to act as a TV cabinet by the previous owner. We were most likely going to have this corrected if we can come across older period backboards or barn board. We have a master level woodworker on staff for restorations like this but he's very busy & in high demand. We have so much inventory coming in the door if we don't offer this right away it may get buried deep in our warehouse. Once we put the restoration in we will re photo & adjust the price slightly for the cost of it but will offer this the way it is now at a discount with a very real number in case somebody would like to take advantage of the conversion.
Being an exotic wood in a foreign climate many of these are prone to warp issues on the doors. We're proud to say this is not a victim of warping and that can be attested to the way the cabinet maker built the paneled doors. The cupids bow decoration along the paneled doors combined with the diminutive scale make this an exceptional cabinet & fine addition to any collection. The cabinet measures 49 1/2” wide x 21 3/4” deep x 61” tall.
