A William & Mary mulberry or field maple and marquetry chest of drawers, in the manner of Coxed & Woster, circa 1690

A William & Mary mulberry or field maple and marquetry chest of drawers, in the manner of Coxed & Woster, circa 1690, decorated with bands of tesselating foliate marquetry, the rectangular top quarter veneered and banded, above two short and three long graduated drawers, on turned bun feet, 92cm high, 99cm wide, 58cm deep

Provenance: Private Collection, London

Purchased: L. Lowenthal, St James St. London (28th October 1958).

Late 17th and early 18th century pieces richly veneered in stained maple or stained burr-elm are often catalogued as 'in the manner of' or attributed to the cabinet-makers George Coxed and Thomas Woster (d. 1736). The partnership of Coxed and Woster began around 1710 when they succeeded John Coxed at the 'White Swan' in St Paul's Churchyard. By 1723, Thomas Woster was probably trading alone as he submitted invoices without mention of a partner and as no labels featuring simply Thomas Woster have been discovered, it may be assumed that the Coxed and Woster labelled pieces date from between circa 1710-1723. John Coxed and Coxed and Woster are the only known cabinet-makers to have used this type of stained veneer, although the technique must surely have been used by other cabinet-makers.

Condition Report:
Marks, knocks, scratches and abrasions commensurate with age and use. Old chips and splits. some old repairs An attractive colour and with fair patina overall. The proportion having good 'status' in a room. Unusual incorporation of burr walnut and attractive unusual marquetry. Handles and escutcheons are old replacements in very attractive period style. The locks are late 18th century. No key present. The rear panels appear original. Feet are later replacements but have age and are faithful to period taste. Some evidence of old worm. Please refer to additional images for visual refence to condition