What wood are bow front chests usually made from?

Mahogany, in the great majority of cases. It is named in 910 of 1,312 titles on Sellingantiques, ahead of any other timber. The main alternative is burr or figured walnut, which belongs almost entirely to the 1920s and 1930s group. Pine turns up at the plainer end, and elm, amboyna and ebonised examples surface once or twice across the whole archive.

How many drawers does a bow front chest have?

Four or five is typical where the title says. Two short drawers over three long ones is the commonest layout named outright. Taller forms exist as chest-on-chests and tallboys, described by tier count as four, five or six height. They are a small but steady part of the category.

Are Georgian and Regency labels reliable dates?

Treat them as stylistic dating unless a circa year is given. Only 386 of the listings carry a clean year, and the rest sit under period labels. Regency is the most frequent of those labels at 233, followed by Georgian at 225 and Victorian at 141. Where years are given they run from 1750 to 1940, with c1820, c1880 and c1920 recurring.

Why do so many date from the 1920s and 1930s?

The bow front was revived in the earlier 20th century, and 153 listings fall in those two decades. That population is dominated by burr and figured walnut, with Georgian-style reproductions in mahogany alongside it. Titles saying "Georgian style" sit lower in the range than those naming a period.

What is a brushing slide worth looking for?

It is a pull-out board above the top drawer, used for laying out clothes, and it sometimes appears as a writing slide. Only 15 titles name one, so it reads as a point of interest rather than a standard fitting. Secret drawers and gentleman's dressing fitments appear in a similar handful.

Do small bow front chests come up often?

Often enough that "small" is the most common adjective in the category after the wood, in 162 titles. Neat and well-proportioned chests are singled out at both ends of the price range, which suggests the compact bedroom size is what the market asks for.

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Antique Bow Front Chest of Drawers

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A chest of drawers with a convex, outward-curving front, made chiefly for the bedroom and standard in English cabinet-making from the later 18th century onwards.