A George III Mahogany Serpentine Chest of Drawers

The chest of finely exaggerated serpentine form with four graduated and cockbeaded drawers, all retaining their original swan’s neck handles which retain much of their original gilt finish. The top of the piece has a fine edge moulding, always a sign of superior quality, and the timber used throughout is of exceptional quality and fine figure, longer grain mahogany being chosen for the top where the unbroken grain pattern can be seen to best effect and timber with a quilted figure used for the drawer fronts. The piece stands beautifully and was clearly made by a very talented maker, quite probably in London.

A drawing for a related chest of drawers was published by Anthony Coleridge in Apollo, October 1970, in his article on the cabinetmaker George Speer of London. Coleridge illustrated Speer’s drawing for a serpentine chest with a fitted top drawer, designed as a dressing chest, and certainly this present piece is of the level of quality associated with the Speer workshops. That having been said, this design on its own is not distinctive enough to be attributed to any one maker.

This is a lovely piece of English furniture which would look equally wonderful in a drawing room or in a bedroom setting.