This painted chest, combining storage and writing functions, reflects the rustic elegance of early 19th-century Scandinavian country furniture. The piece is constructed with two lower drawers beneath a secretary section fitted with cubbies, likely once containing small drawers, and surmounted by a mirror. Its original painted surface, in striking tones of red, pale green, and gray, exemplifies the polychrome traditions of rural Sweden, where color was used both to enliven interiors and to emulate more costly materials. Heavy iron lift handles remain intact on either side, attesting to its durable craftsmanship and functional mobility. The chest embodies the balance of utility, decorative charm, and regional character characteristic of Scandinavian vernacular design in the early 19th century.
-Size: 40.2” H x 36.5” W x 20” D
-Materials: painted wood, iron
-Provenance: ca. 1800–1820
-Made in: Sweden
-Notes:
This painted chest, combining storage and writing functions, reflects the rustic elegance of early 19th-century Scandinavian country furniture. The piece is constructed with two lower drawers beneath a secretary section fitted with cubbies, likely once containing small drawers, and surmounted by a mirror. Its original painted surface, in striking tones of red, pale green, and gray, exemplifies the polychrome traditions of rural Sweden, where color was used both to enliven interiors and to emulate more costly materials. Heavy iron lift handles remain intact on either side, attesting to its durable craftsmanship and functional mobility. The chest embodies the balance of utility, decorative charm, and regional character characteristic of Scandinavian vernacular design in the early 19th century.
-Size: 40.2” H x 36.5” W x 20” D
-Materials: painted wood, iron
-Provenance: ca. 1800–1820
-Made in: Sweden
-Notes: