Antique Walnut Commode with Gray Marble | Empire Style

• Structurally checked
• Adjusted and reinforced where necessary
• Treated against woodworm and borer-free
• Hand sanded
• Furniture ready for use

Opening a drawer is a gesture repeated a thousand times a year without thinking. Good furniture is recognized there: in what it does daily without asking for attention.

This antique commode was made in France in the first third of the 19th century, between the Empire and Restoration periods: straight front, freestanding turned columns at the corners, a plain frieze under the top, and block feet. Three spacious drawers, each with its lock and key, beneath a grey marble top.

The wood is walnut, stripped back to its raw state: open-pored, matte finish, without varnish to hide the grain. The drawers are assembled with hand-cut dovetails, fine and uneven, as they were cut before machines. The back retains its wide pine boards and period nails. The pulls are knurled brass discs, and the keyholes are chiselled bronze rosettes. The three locks are original and functional: they were serviced in our workshop, and the keys were restored so that each drawer closes with its own.

102 cm wide, 58 cm deep, and 89 cm high. It is the classic size for a bedroom commode, and the grey marble effortlessly takes it out of that context: in a hallway serving as a console with drawers, in the living room under a mirror, or in a large bathroom as a support cabinet.

WHAT TO LOOK AT CLOSELY

→ The dovetails. Hand-cut one by one, with the fine and uneven teeth of the saw and chisel. They are the signature of a pre-machine piece of furniture and are visible when opening any drawer.

→ The freestanding columns. Turned, separated from the main body, with their ring below the capital and their base on block feet. This is the defining gesture of Empire furniture and the first to be lost in copies.

→ The grey marble. Mottled in grey and white, with the straight edge typical of its era. Two centuries of use and not a single crack.

→ The locks. All three original, with their bronze keyholes. They turn, lock, and open with their keys. In a two-century-old commode, that is rare.

RESTORED IN OUR WORKSHOP IN NAVALCARNERO, MADRID

The structure was reviewed: the seating of the marble on the body, the plumb of the columns on their blocks, and the bottom of each drawer. The three drawers were adjusted to run smoothly on their wooden runners. The three locks were serviced, and their keys were restored: each drawer closes with its own. The wood was treated against wood-boring insects.

The walnut was stripped and hand-sanded to its raw state, with an open pore and a matte finish that does not hide the grain. The marble sits firmly, and the entire piece is perfectly plumb. It leaves the workshop finished: ready to be placed and used.

Style: Empire / French Restoration
Material: Walnut; period pine back; grey marble top
Technique: Hand-cut dovetail joints; turned freestanding columns
Finish: Raw washed walnut, open pore, matte
Hardware: Knurled brass handles and chased bronze escutcheons
Locks: Three original working locks, with keys restored in our workshop
Configuration: Three spacious drawers with locks and keys
Dimensions: 102 cm (Width) × 58 cm (Depth) × 89 cm (Height)
Condition: Very good condition; marble without cracks
Period: First third of the 19th century (c. 1815-1830)

102 cm (Width) × 58 cm (Depth) × 89 cm (Height)

Free shipping to mainland Spain. Includes indoor delivery with packaging removal.