Featured JUST BOUGHT THIS 50" TALL ANTIQUE CABINET 17THC?

I would really appreciate any details about this item. Where it was made, date, what it was used for etc. Thank you in advance!

 

Please tell us what part of the world you found it in and what you were told about it.

Debora

 

In what country was it purchased, and in what area of the country? What were you told about it? Could you add a picture of the underside, please?
Knowledgeable people will hopefully be along soon. This is an international forum and it can take hours, or even days sometimes, to receive replies so do check back. Thanks!

(Sniped by Debora!)

 

Thanks. It was purchased on Long Island New York. Here's a picture of the underside. The seller thought it was a Spanish religious relic cabinet from the 1600's.

 

First impression is it's a modern faux antique. People seem to think cabinet makers in the early centuries made primitive looking furniture. Look in any museum and you will see that most items - especially those made for churches - were well made and with more care than some of the stuff that we get today. All that scarring on the sides makes me think it was deliberately 'distressed.' Plus I'm not seeing normal aging. This has the same amount of wear all over. I'd like a closeup of the feet. Feet can usually tell you how old a piece is because they experienced more wear than other parts of a piece.

 

It's full of saw marks and rose head nails. Also the wear throughout the piece is far from uniform.

 

I agree with Bev. The feet should be pretty banged up after 4 centuries.
There should be plenty of wear on the top of the doors, the front edge of the shelves and the top front.
Also, where the front hook closure is should show circular scrape marks from the last 400 years.
And the hinges look to be stained over.
Maybe I've seen too many Antiques Roadshow appraisals, but that's my take on it.
So I think a modern reproduction.

 

Thank you for the input but I disagree. It cost virtually nothing so it would be a lot of work to use Rosehead nails, hand cut wood, etc. I know it's hard to see from pictures but like I said there's a ton of uneven wear all over it.

 

And thats okay you dont agree Chris. I think more 19th century myself . What the others said about wear,plus Id expect to see worm holes and more warping on a 400 year old piece.Its picturesque and I like the lines. I also think more Spanish,and by a primitive cabinet maker.

 

Thanks, It may be hard to see in the pics. but there are worm holes on the bottom sides of the shelf boards. I have 18 long case clocks from the 18th century. There are some similarities between furniture and clock cases. Thanks again

 

Also the groves can be seen on the inside of both doors where the original strap hinges were.

 

Using image search it's hard to find a comparable style from any one part of the world. Not much help, but these are the closest ones I've found.
https://live.brunkauctions.com/online-auctions/brunk/southwestern-paint-decorated-171902
https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/s...folk-art-cabinet-from-pyrenees/id-f_28977132/
https://www.chairish.com/product/5667623/spanish-17th-century-primitive-armoire

 

Any chance you can take a photo or 2 of this???? It could help!! Also, that close-up of the one hinge....the nails look old on the outside....how were they finished off on the inside....can you show that too?? Thank you!!

 

Thank you!

 

I think all of these examples are far superior and genuinely older than the one in this post. The glow of the timber, the softness that shows up with genuine wear in the right places - these examples have the look that just isn't there on the OP.

I think that the piece could be made from pieces of reclaimed timber and could have a little age to it. But I can't see anything to make me think that this is a couple (or more) centuries old.

Another possibility - I live in France and have a French cabinet that came along with my house. The door is proper old (c1800-1840 ish) but the cabinet was knocked up later - probably in the 1970s when the first Bristish owners came here, they found a nice old door sans cabinet, and made something to make use of it. Of course, they stained everything dark brown so on initial inspection it looks like it's all of a piece. But when you look at the flatness of the patina, the wear patterns and the finishing / style, it is clearly not. I think you might have a similar thing going on there, with it made from older parts / timbers.

So, because you're seeing age here, maybe think not a 'pottery barn' repro, but perhaps a homemade piece from reclaimed pieces that was put together to serve a purpose for someone a while back. It doesn't look to be made by a skilled cabinet maker with all those gaps around the doors, the proportions, etc.

Just my 2 cents.

 

There is a huge difference between folk furniture and many museum pieces. If you visit small village churches in Europe, for instance, you can come across simply made, sometimes crude furniture. Good honest pieces, full of character.

I think that is the case.
Imo a genuine antique, but made from even older pieces. Some of the wood was probably stained to match older wood.
Often people had to work with what they had. Circumstances could be dire, but they still had bits and pieces of furniture that a craftsperson could make into a useful and even decorative piece of furniture.
I agree with the possibility of a Spanish or Spanish Colonial origin.

 

We would see this all the time in English made furniture. Pieces removed from old chests for example and repurposed to a newer piece to give the illusion of age. A good cabinetmaker can make anything look old.

 

I am with the others. A modern cobbled together piece made from old wood and/or salvaged pieces.

 

I'm going to agree. Nothing about it looks right, especially the feet. And I'm not even sure a "Spanish religious relic cabinet" is a thing. Relics were religious treasures and, as such, were generally meant to be seen (encased in the finest of materials) and venerated.

Debora

 

It isn't. Relics are kept in reliquaries or in items that can be carried on a person.