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Pair of Italian Rosewood Inlaid 'Empire' Commodes C1820
Sold by Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd
sold SA1015078
Sorry, but this item has been sold.
Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd

Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd

Sellingantiques Verified Since Nov 2018
Browse dealers 148 items
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Id #SA1015078
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Pair of Italian Rosewood Inlaid 'Empire' Commodes C1820

19th century
Sold 7 May 2025 · Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd
This “Pair of Italian Rosewood Inlaid 'Empire' Commodes C1820” found a buyer.

It was listed by Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd. Sold pieces stay on Sellingantiques as a record of what has passed through, and the next one is rarely far away.

Find more for sale
Empire CommodeGilt Bronze Mounted CommodeVintage Rosewood Chest Ask the dealer for something similar
Description

An Exceptional Pair of Italian Rosewood and Inlaid "Empire" Commodes c.1820.

In the fashionable Empire taste popularised by Napoleon during his conquests of Europe in the early 19th century, these commodes are a very unusual model with many interesting decorative features. They are veneered in rosewood of rich, dark colour, enhanced with inlaid brass work. The frieze drawer front incorporates wreaths of laurel leaves, the symbol of victory, and there are refined neoclassical floral inlays to the frieze in the ancient Greek taste. The piece is supported by columnar pilasters with ormolu capitals. Each commode retains its original white marble top. The commodes stand on ebonised and parcel gilt hairy paw feet.

This is a particularly unusual model of commode and the pieces incorporate all of the features associated with the most fashionable, and expensive, taste of the time. Whoever commissioned these pieces originally would have had to have been extremely wealthy, these commodes are of great character. They are highly refined and sophisticated. The marble tops add not only to their beauty but also to their practicality.

Date of Manufacture

Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd has dated this Empire Style Commode to the 19th Century.

Physical Dimensions
Height
95cm (37.40")
Width
126cm (49.61")
Depth
58cm (22.83")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1015078
Dealers Internal Reference
3094
Description
An Exceptional Pair of Italian Rosewood and Inlaid "Empire" Commodes c.1820.
“
In the fashionable Empire taste popularised by Napoleon during his conquests of Europe in the early 19th century, these commodes are a very unusual model with many interesting decorative features.
Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd

They are veneered in rosewood of rich, dark colour, enhanced with inlaid brass work. The frieze drawer front incorporates wreaths of laurel leaves, the symbol of victory, and there are refined neoclassical floral inlays to the frieze in the ancient Greek taste. The piece is supported by columnar pilasters with ormolu capitals. Each commode retains its original white marble top. The commodes stand on ebonised and parcel gilt hairy paw feet.

fig 1. A pair of nineteenth-century Empire style commodes featuring dark rosewood veneer, marble tops, classical gilt mounts, and columnar supports.
fig 1. Pair of Italian Rosewood Inlaid 'Empire' Commodes C1820

This is a particularly unusual model of commode and the pieces incorporate all of the features associated with the most fashionable, and expensive, taste of the time. Whoever commissioned these pieces originally would have had to have been extremely wealthy, these commodes are of great character. They are highly refined and sophisticated. The marble tops add not only to their beauty but also to their practicality.

Date of Manufacture

Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd has dated this Empire Style Commode to the 19th Century.

Height
95cm (37.40")
Width
126cm (49.61")
Depth
58cm (22.83")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1015078
Dealers Internal Ref
3094
Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd
Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd
Sellingantiques verified Since Nov 2018
Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd Profile Page

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A pair of nineteenth-century Empire style commodes featuring dark rosewood veneer, marble tops, classical gilt mounts, and columnar supports. SOLD6+ MONTHS AGO
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Archive I A pair of nineteenth-century Empire style commodes featuring dark rosewood veneer, marble tops, classical gilt mounts, and columnar supports. SOLD6+ MONTHS AGO

Pair of Italian Rosewood Inlaid 'Empire' Commodes C1820

Archive II A pair of nineteenth-century Empire style commodes featuring dark rosewood veneer, marble tops, classical gilt mounts, and columnar supports. View II
Archive III A pair of nineteenth-century Empire style commodes featuring dark rosewood veneer, marble tops, classical gilt mounts, and columnar supports. View III
Archive IV A pair of nineteenth-century Empire style commodes featuring dark rosewood veneer, marble tops, classical gilt mounts, and columnar supports. View IV
Archive V A pair of nineteenth-century Empire style commodes featuring dark rosewood veneer, marble tops, classical gilt mounts, and columnar supports. View V
Archive VI A pair of nineteenth-century Empire style commodes featuring dark rosewood veneer, marble tops, classical gilt mounts, and columnar supports. View VI
Archive VII A pair of nineteenth-century Empire style commodes featuring dark rosewood veneer, marble tops, classical gilt mounts, and columnar supports. View VII
Archive VIII A pair of nineteenth-century Empire style commodes featuring dark rosewood veneer, marble tops, classical gilt mounts, and columnar supports. View VIII
Archive IX A pair of nineteenth-century Empire style commodes featuring dark rosewood veneer, marble tops, classical gilt mounts, and columnar supports. View IX
Archive X A pair of nineteenth-century Empire style commodes featuring dark rosewood veneer, marble tops, classical gilt mounts, and columnar supports. View X
Enlarged Archival View
Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd

Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd
Telephone 01858 882005 or 07811 127428
Location
Lodge Farm
Walton Lane
Husbands Bosworth
Leicestershire
LE17 6NN
United Kingdom

By appointment only
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/leewrightantiques
Verified Since Nov 2018
Items For Sale 148
Items Sold 1,023
Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd
Lee Wright Antiques & Interiors Ltd
Verified Since Nov 2018
View Dealer Info
Location: Lodge Farm, Walton Lane, Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire, LE17 6NN, United Kingdom, , By appointment only
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/leewrightantiques
Verified
Nov 2018
For Sale
148
Sold
1,023
A pair of nineteenth-century Empire style commodes featuring dark rosewood veneer, marble tops, classical gilt mounts, and columnar supports.
Pair of Italian Rosewood Inlaid 'Empire' Commodes C1820
Ref: SA1015078
A pair of nineteenth-century Empire style commodes featuring dark rosewood veneer, marble tops, classical gilt mounts, and columnar supports.
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Archival Detail

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectChests of Drawers
  • Period19th century
  • StyleEmpire
  • MaterialRosewood, Marble, Ormolu
  • ColourDark Brown
  • MotifsOrmolu mounts, Columnar supports, Claw feet, Marble top
  • SizeH 95 cm (37 in) x W 126 cm (50 in) x D 58 cm (23 in)

FAQs

The Empire style emerged in early 19th-century France, heavily influenced by neoclassical design, Roman antiquity, and military motifs, characterised by symmetrical proportions, rich dark woods, and striking gilt-bronze mounts.

Empire commodes typically featured dense hardwoods such as mahogany, rosewood, and ebony veneers, often topped with white marble slabs and accented with fire-gilt bronze or brass mounts.

Authentic pieces from the Empire period can be identified by hand-cut dovetail joints, old secondary timbers like oak or pine, mercury-gilt bronze mounts, and period-appropriate hand-chased brass hardware.

An Empire commode works well as a statement anchor piece in a contemporary setting, paired with minimal modern art or clean-lined seating to let the rich wood tones and classical hardware stand out.

Maintain antique rosewood by dusting with a soft, dry cloth and occasionally applying natural beeswax, while marble tops should be cleaned with mild soapy water and sealed periodically to prevent staining.
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