Is a linen press the same as a wardrobe?

Not quite, though the heading treats them together. The press has two doors over a base of drawers, with the upper stage fitted for folded linen on trays rather than a hanging rail. The names blur in practice. Twenty-seven titles use "linen press", and many write it as "Linen Press / Wardrobe", so one object is being sold under two words.

What wood are these usually made from?

Mahogany, and by a wide margin: it appears in 84 of 120 titles. Flame, curl and figured cuts show on the door panels of the better cases, sometimes with satinwood or rosewood crossbanding. Pine is the second timber, at a distance, mostly the stripped knockdown wardrobes. Beyond that there are a few oak cases and one in rosewood.

Does Georgian in the title mean the piece is Georgian?

Often it means the style. Sixty-nine listings put Georgian in the date field, but some of those same pieces describe themselves in their titles as Georgian Style, Georgian Revival, Edwardian or 1920. Only 12 listings across the archive give a clean year, and those run from 1800 to 1920. Circa dates such as c1760 or c1810 appear in titles without the date field repeating them.

Why are pine wardrobes sold to wax or paint?

It is dealer shorthand for a stripped or bare case, left for the buyer to finish. Wax and paint each appear in around a tenth of titles. These are commonly knockdown cases, built to separate into cornice, sides and doors. They sit in a band well below the figured mahogany pieces, and they are rising as a share of live stock.

How often do these come up for sale?

Around nine a year reach the market on Sellingantiques. Yet 45 different dealers have listed one, so almost nobody carries them as a regular line. That spread is why the vocabulary varies so much from listing to listing.

What sits at the top of the category?

Rosewood, breakfront and English oak press cupboard examples hold the highest end. Fitted interiors count too: compactum divisions and secretaire drawers appear only in the upper part of the range. One-off entries include a Chinoiserie compactum, a satinwood-banded press with a swan-neck pediment, and a matched pair of bow-fronted wardrobes. The bottom is plain two-door mahogany and converted cases.

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Antique Georgian Wardrobes

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A large freestanding clothes cupboard of Georgian type or Georgian style, made to hold hanging clothes or folded linen once bedroom storage moved out of chests and coffers.