A Delightful Mid 19th Century Birds Eye Maple Wood Wellington Chest Of Seven
Drawers Retaining Original Turned Wooden Knobs Flanked By Pilasters Headed
With Carved Corbels Raised On Original Plinth Base

(It is believed that the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur
Wellesley, commissioned the first chest of this type, with
a tall bank of drawers secured by just one single hinged
locking pilaster to take with him and carry around the various
different battlefields. From around 1820 onwards many
variations can be found varying a great deal in terms of
both quality and the wood which is used both externally and
internally. This most unusual example is veneered with birds eye
maple wood which gives it a lovely decorative feel and it retains
a good colour and patina as it has clearly been well
loved as well as used throughout the years of its life. An advantage
of this type of chest is that it can offer a slightly different and more
unusual perspective to a room in terms of height and proportion
and also of course the drawers are incredibly functional when used
for items that you don’t want to be buried at the bottom of much
larger drawers as can often be the case)