19th century American paint decorated corner cabinet with 4 paneled doors 88x41x32

Replacement Value: $10,500

Antique furniture brings a unique charm and appeal to a space that modern furnishings often cannot. Cabinetry requires a great deal of woodworking skill and often involves techniques such as creating dados, bevels, inlays, joints and shelving systems, as well as requiring the use of finishing tools to create decorative features such as edgings. Although the art of cabinet-making had been popular for many hundreds of years, mass production was only made possible during the industrial revolution, which provided cabinet makers with the use of steam power to operate their tools. Fine furniture in Western Europe was a rarity, and people were inclined to value function over form. However, with the mass manufacturing of finely made furniture came a surge in demand from the middle classes, which resulted in the growth of the number cabinets being made, many of which we see today. Noteworthy cabi net makers of the eighteenth century include Thomas Sheraton, George Hepplewhite and Thomas Chippendale.