With our absolute highest compliments Bay Colony Antiques takes the utmost pleasure in offering a truly remarkable antique bookcase from the height of the Victorian era. Before the arts & crafts movement took hold in America during the early 20th century there was a significant shortage of fine standalone bookcases available for regular people. In the early 19th century, it was common for a bookcase to be only one section of a larger piece of furniture such as a secretary desk and not until the Victorian era did traditional bookcases become standard elements of interior household furnishings. It is far more common to find grander bookcases made as triple or double door configurations as the earliest examples were made for grand and opulent homes with large spaces to occupy. For this reason, antique single door bookcases from the Victorian era are exceedingly rare and in high demand today especially in homes where space is a primary consideration. When we go about the business of buying antique furniture from estates with historical offerings, we often find that people are unwilling to part with their single door bookcases as they can be easily transport from one home to another and remain incredibly useful throughout all stages of life. We make it a point of pride to always have at least one premium single door bookcase catalogued for our clients to consider and we could not be prouder to offer the bookcase we now respectfully present.
This antique bookcase is constructed entirely of oak with quartersawn tiger oak grain being present throughout. The single door opens to reveal three full length shelves which are made adjustable by a sawtooth style system inside the case. The shelves are designed to be tightly fit to the inside of the case and can be adjusted upwards or downwards by angling the shelf and setting it to which ever height increment desired. The top of the bookcase features a wonderful fully formed gallery which is shaped and further enhanced by an elaborate foliate carving in the center. There are two finely carved elements positioned on opposing sides of the upper bookcase on either side of the door. The bookcase is constructed with double paneled sides and has a single drawer housed below the primary bookcase interior. The drawer is adorned with embossed brass pulls and situated above a finely scrolled baseboard. The interior has useable dimensions of 30” wide x 9” deep. The overall dimensions of the bookcase are 34” wide x 14 1/2” deep x 63” tall.
