Antique Victorian Oak Bookshelves Shelves, c1860

2260

Description

A wonderfully characterful set of mid-Victorian oak open bookshelves, dating to circa 1860 and retaining an exceptionally appealing time-worn surface.

Constructed in solid oak, the shelves are particularly attractive for their honest, almost vernacular quality. A substantial moulded cornice sits above three open shelves, each with a gently moulded front edge, while broad solid oak sides frame the wonderfully irregular boarded back.

What really gives this piece its personality is the passage of time. The shelves have settled and moved over more than 160 years, leaving them delightfully askew, with a gentle undulation that could never convincingly be reproduced in modern furniture. Far from detracting from the piece, this movement gives it enormous decorative character and an unmistakable sense of age.

The oak has developed a lovely dry, mellow surface with visible grain, old knocks, marks, shrinkage and colour variation throughout. The rear is formed from individual vertical boards displaying extensive historic wear and movement, reinforcing its wonderfully primitive country-house appearance.

Its unusually shallow depth of just over 20 cm makes it extremely practical, particularly where space is limited. Ideal for books, ceramics, kitchenware, collections or decorative objects, and equally successful in a country kitchen, study, hallway or sitting room.

A charming and thoroughly authentic piece of Victorian country furniture, preserved with all the imperfections that make early furniture so appealing.

Circa 1860.

Dimensions

Height: 978 mm / 97.8 cm / 38.5 in
Width: 1264 mm / 126.4 cm / 49.8 in
Depth: 204 mm / 20.4 cm / 8 in

Stock Number: 2260