With our highest compliments Bay Colony Antiques takes the utmost pleasure in offering perhaps one of the finest custom made cabinets that we have ever encountered throughout generations of continued operations. We have been fortunate enough to have handled some of the finest hand crafted furnishings the world over and it is our distinct privilege to count this cabinet among the best that we have yet to offer. There are four general criteria which make this cabinet superior to all the other custom made cabinets which we could compare to: quality of construction, general condition, sophistication of design, and the premium materials used to build the cabinet. Several generations ago this cabinet was constructed as a labor of love by a master cabinetmaker working in the state of Pennsylvania for his daughter and her soon to be husband as a wedding present. This cabinet along with an entire suite of custom made tiger maple dining chairs and federal style tables were all hand labored and crafted as a token of endearment by the master furniture builder for those most special in his life. After forty years of continued enjoyment and care we had the great fortunate to purchase the entirety of custom made furniture from the family who had grown up with it and no longer had need of such a marvelous suite of furniture. We take the time to denote this history so that the next owner of this cabinet may know that this piece was not made on a production line in a factory somewhere but rather on the workbench of a master artisan where no detail was spared.
This tiger maple cabinet is handcrafted in the antique federal style of the late 18th century when American craftsmanship had reached its pinnacle. As centuries have past fewer and fewer cabinetmakers have come to be proficient in this style which makes sourcing premium federal antique inspired furniture increasingly difficult. Most collectors either have to settle for furniture that was mass produced by a premium manufacturer or have a piece custom built by a well skilled artisan. Either prospect is often cost prohibitive which is why this particular grade of furniture is so scarce against such strong demand. The cabinet is constructed with the highest grade of figured tiger maple lumber which is finished in a beautiful even toned color that brings out the depth of grain and fullest effect of the wood. The top of the cabinet has a broken arch pediment design comprised of two mirroring gooseneck molded embellishments each with a circular rosette in the center and accented by three urn shaped finials. The upper cabinet features a single arched door with applied fretwork molding that opens to reveal two interior shelves. The lower cabinet has three drawers over frame and panel styled double doors which open to reveal an additional shelf. The base is elaborated with fine scrollwork and well formed bracket feet which are scrolled from the side panels meaning this cabinet will never faulter or need for strength or support. This corner cabinet stands 44" long x 22 1/4" deep x 84" tall overall up to the central urn finial.
