Antique Welsh Oak & Walnut Potboard Dresser with Plate Rack 0409g

A beautiful late 18th-century Welsh oak pot-board dresser with open plate rack, dating to the George III period, circa 1780.

A particularly handsome example, with wonderful proportions, an unusual five-drawer arrangement and a superb timeworn surface that has developed over more than two centuries of use.

The dresser is traditionally constructed in oak, with a broad boarded top above three long frieze drawers and two smaller drawers beneath. The drawer fronts are especially attractive, with contrasting walnut crossbanding framing the oak and adding a subtle decorative detail to what is otherwise a wonderfully restrained piece of country furniture.

Below the drawers is a beautifully shaped and scalloped apron, with the dresser raised on square legs joined by a broad boarded potboard. Originally intended for the storage of pots and kitchen wares, the potboard now provides generous open storage and gives the piece its distinctive, beautifully balanced form.

Above sits an open oak plate rack with three long shelves, a central upright and a shaped frieze beneath the moulded cornice. The rack sits loosely upon the dresser top, as intended with many dressers of this type, and has a later discreet wall fixing for security.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of this dresser is its exceptional colour and patina. The oak has acquired wonderfully rich shades of deep brown, chestnut and warm honey, with areas of natural wear revealing the lighter timber beneath. Marks, knocks, variations in colour and gentle movement to the old boards are all part of its history and give the piece the character that can only be acquired through generations of use.

The dresser is believed to be Welsh, probably South Wales, although—as is often the case with regional vernacular furniture of this age—we prefer not to make a more specific attribution without documentary provenance. The plate rack is of appropriate period character and sits very naturally with the dresser, although we cannot confirm that the rack and base have remained together since they were first made.

A wonderfully decorative yet extremely practical piece of 18th-century country furniture, equally at home in a kitchen or dining room, or used more unexpectedly as generous storage and display in a living space.

Very good antique condition with extensive historic wear, marks, colour variation and movement commensurate with age. Later wall restraint to the rack.. Please take a look at the photographs for more detail.

Dimensions:
Width: 137cm (across top) 135cm (across legs)
Height: 80cm
Height with plate rack: 200cm
Depth: 42cm
Depth of plate rack: 12cm

Drawers:
Widths: 42cm (x2) 28cm (x2) 30cm (x1) 
Heights: 8cm (x3) 6cm (x2)

A very desirable and functional piece which would work equally well in a number of environments.