Exemplary William and Mary Burr Walnut Cabinet on Chest c. 1680

A particularly fine and very rare William and Mary cabinet on chest dressed with figured, burr and oyster walnut veneers. Top quality English cabinet making and dating from c. 1680

With beautifully shaped bevelled mirror plates with engraved star design. The mirror plates reflect remarkably well and have a lovely silver grey hue. These have some slight foxing, small marks and losses. The mirrors are very early - 18th century or earlier - and appear to be original or very early replacements. The plates are set within solid doors with lovely shaped cushion mouldings and book-matched walnut veneers. To the back of the mirrors, on the inner face of each door, are original removable panels held by small shaped brass catches and again these have matching cushion moulded frames. The left hand door retains its original elaborate slide bolts and the right has an inset lock with working large early iron key.

The lower case with two short frieze over three long drawers each with fine featherbanded borders, bookmatched walnut veneers and lovely hand cast brass drop handles. The handles have snaped split pin fixings and sit in the original holes. They are exactly right for period, have good wear and colour and have been on the cabinet for most of its life but are a little later.

Each drawer retains its original full oak lining - finely sawn and shaped oak boards with lovely medullary rays and the drawers open and close smoothly and are robust and heavy.

The mirror doors open to reveal a set of internal drawers, each with feather banded borders and beautiful figured and burr walnut fronts of particularly good colour. The matching brass drop handles with snaped fixings and each of the internal drawers is oak lined. The lowest inner drawer with cushion moulded divisions.

Lovely ogee cornice with original top and backboards. The waste moulding particularly lovely with double ogee shape incorporating some oyster veneers, the plinth mouldings and bottom boards original also. Both side panels in excellent order with lovely matched veneers and the whole in very good showroom condition with no major faults, repairs or restorations. All set on attractive stepped walnut bun feet

A beautiful and very rare early walnut cabinet of small and elegant proportion with a fabulous colour and quality which will light up any room and is a marvel to behold.