What wood are triple wardrobes usually made from?

Mahogany leads by a distance, named in 266 of 590 titles, with walnut second at 129. Oak reaches 59 and pine 34. Smaller numbers name satinwood, amboyna, rosewood, satin birch, birds eye maple, pollard oak, limed oak, Hungarian ash and ebony. Those single-figure timbers give the category most of its variety.

Does compactum mean something specific?

Yes. It describes a fitted interior that combines hanging space with sliding trays, drawers or shelves, rather than a plain hanging cupboard throughout. The word appears in 77 titles, often alongside breakfront and a maker's name.

How old are most triple wardrobes on the market?

Victorian and Edwardian labels cover the bulk of the archive, 199 and 142 respectively, with 78 filed as 1920s and 35 as 1930s. Of the 192 listings carrying a clean year, the range runs 1850 to 1930. In titles, c1900 appears 118 times, c1890 56 times and c1880 48 times. Titles tend to be more precise than the period field, and a few period labels are plainly adrift.

Are French armoires included in this category?

They are. Thirty-five titles use the word armoire, in Louis XV and Louis XVI style, and some are painted, bleached oak or decorated with marquetry. A Continental seam runs alongside them in pine, variously described as German, East German or Flemish.

Can a triple wardrobe come apart for moving?

Seventeen titles say the wardrobe dismantles, and others use knockdown or flat pack for the same thing. Those listings sit almost entirely in the pine and Continental group rather than across the category as a whole.

Which unusual examples turn up in this category?

A metamorphic gentleman's compactum, a faux bamboo pitch pine wardrobe and a chinoiserie-decorated piece have each surfaced once or twice. So have a Gothic country house wardrobe and one with a secret drawer. The tallest anyone has measured in a title stands 7 feet 3 inches. Sixty-eight dealers have listed triple wardrobes on Sellingantiques, with around fifty-five coming to market in a year.

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Antique Triple Wardrobes

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A three-door bedroom cupboard, usually with a mirrored centre door, built to give full-length hanging on one side and drawers, trays or shelves on the other.