Magnificent Welsh Oak Clothes-Hanging Press Cupboard
A superb cupboard, in two sections, of imposing size and form and made entirely of dense, native oak.
The three fluted stiles flanking the pair of panelled doors given a stronger architectural flavour by extending their capitals and bases into the unusually generous cornice and waist mouldings. The interior has a full compliment of large turned oak pegs and the space extends into the lower part, behind the row of four fielded panels.
The five, fielded-panel front drawers sit above a splayed base moulding.
Until recently the cupboard was in the possession of a farming family from the Rhayader area and this may well be the first time for it to appear on the market.
The current brassware dates from early in the 19th century but the ghostly outline of previous shaped backplates suggests a date for the cupboard of around 1740-60.
Literature:
“Welsh Furniture 1250-1950, a cultural history of craftsmanship and design” by Richard Bebb. See Vol 2, page 61, fig 729, for a similar, albeit less imposing, cupboard.
Dimensions:
200 cms high, 62 cms deep, 152 cms wide at the waist, 155.5 cms wide at the cornice.
