A Charming Small Late 18th Century, George III Period, Mahogany Minaiture Chest Of Three Long Drawers, With Boxwood Strung Decoration, Brass Handles And Elegant Original Splayed Bracket Feet.

It’s quite difficult to distinguish whether this particular miniature chest would have been made as an apprentice piece, or indeed as a sample piece, however either way it is most attractive and an extremely sweet size. It also retains its original splayed feet with a lovely elegant shaped apron and the brass handles appear original although we think that it may well have been more likely to have had wooden knobs originally.

There is much debate over whether miniature furniture was made as an apprentice piece, which is when a craftsmen who was looking for a job at a workshop would create something to showcase their talents. Or whether it was made as a travelling salesmans sample piece, which is when a selection of items were produced as scale models by a well established workshop, as a form of physical catalogue, in advance of a travelling salesman’s road trip around the country, for him to use as demonstrators when trying to fill his order book.