Rococo commode
The chest of drawers with a swelling front, curved legs and patterned veneer – the finest piece of furniture of Sweden’s Age of Liberty.
During the Age of Liberty, from 1720 to the 1770s, Stockholm’s cabinetmakers followed French Rococo. The commode became the grandest piece of furniture in the drawing room.
Swedish commodes are often more restrained than French ones, with simpler mounts. Many carry the cabinetmaker’s signature or a stamp of the Stockholm joiners’ guild.
Materials: Oak or pine carcass veneered in walnut, kingwood and other woods; gilt brass mounts; limestone or marble top
Manufacture: The carcass is dovetailed; the veneer is laid in patterns (marquetry) and the mounts are cast.
The front swells both across and from top to bottom.
Patterned veneer, often flowers or lozenges, and cast mounts in rocaille shapes.
Hand-sawn drawer bottoms and hand-cut dovetails on the drawers.