Georgian Secretaire Campaign Chest

Georgian Secretaire Campaign Chest

A mahogany long drawer Secretaire Campaign Chest.

The chest is made as one piece with good brass carrying handles to the side. The top and bottom of the chest have applied reeded moulding to the edges. The chest sits on turned feet which are not removable.

The top drawer is decorated to the face with inlaid ebony stringing. The drawer front falls on quadrants to give a writing surface and access to the internal drawers. There is a bank of three drawers to each side with a longer drawer to the middle, above four arched pigeonholes. They all have turned ivory knobs and are lined in mahogany. Although the drawers are all plain without dividers, some have ink stains. The writing area was purposely left as plain mahogany without inset baize. The secretaire drawer has a Hobbs & Co. lock which, given its post 1852 date, is a later replacement or perhaps upgrade by the owner.

There are three drawers below the secretaire, all lined with oak and with quadrant mouldings to the bottom side edges for strength. The brass skeletal campaign handles are indicative of its earlier age.

The paired down mouldings are a concession to decoration but are made with little overhang to reduce their chance of damage during transit. The cabinet maker has made the chest with portability in mind but it can be seen that it is a piece from the near the beginning of the evolution of the military chest. It is a good looking piece of furniture and useful as a desk or chest. Circa 1820.