Regency Decoupage Jewel Cabinet, ca. 1810
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GUEST:
I inherited it from a good friend of mine.
APPRAISER:
Do you have any thoughts about where it was from, or what country it is, or...?
GUEST:
I really have no idea about the whole thing.
APPRAISER:
It's actually English.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
Yeah. Everyone was obsessed with the Far East and with China, this sort of this exotic, wonderful land. And it was the subject of a lot of decoration for furniture and paintings. The way this decoration's put on is called dècoupage. And these are all tiny bits of cut paper that have then been inked, and some of the highlight bits you can see in red, and then laid down onto the wood, which has been grain painted. You can't see as much of the grain painting now as you could have when you originally would have bought this. But if we take out this drawer, we can show on the underside you've got this sort of swirly red and black decoration. This is imitating rosewood. So, but this is actually a pine bottom. The sides are beech wood, which are typical woods you'd see on small objects in England. This actually dates from about 1810.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, so it's quite old. You seem surprised. (laughing) And it was probably like a little jewel cabinet. And it would have been kept in a lady's bedroom. Probably at auction, you'd be looking anywhere from about $1,500 to $2,500, so...
GUEST:
Okay. All right, wonderful.
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