This antique painted folk chest of drawers in wood with four drawers, polychrome floral and religious decoration, decorative metal tacks and porcelain knobs, is a piece from the popular furniture tradition of the Austrian Alps around 1900. Originates from Austria, from the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, where the hand-painted furniture tradition remained alive in alpine and rural areas.
Painted popular furniture from the Austrian and Tyrolean Alps is one of the richest craft traditions of Central Europe. Painted chests were first-rank trousseau pieces, decorated with floral, religious and heraldic motifs that identified the owner’s family origin and cultural belonging.
The structure is of solid wood with mortise-and-tenon joinery, with the exterior surface lacquered in a dark burgundy ground. Over the ground, hand-painted flower bouquets in pink, blue and yellow tones fill each drawer front. On the first drawer, a female figure — likely a religious image — is distinguishable in the side panel. The edges are trimmed with round-head metal tacks. The knobs are of moulded white porcelain.
The polychromy shows the wear of more than a century of use: the ground lacquer has lost its sheen, the floral pigments show a natural veil, and the tacks carry a light oxide patina. The decorative legibility of the piece remains fully intact.
This chest suits romantic eclectic, European folk or wabi-sabi interiors. The painted polychromy makes it especially suited for bedrooms or characterful spaces.
Details
- Dimensions: Length 129 cm – Width 62 cm – Height 115 cm
- Style: Folk art
- Materials and techniques: Solid wood; metal hardware; porcelain knobs; hand-painted floral polychromy on lacquered burgundy ground.
- Place of origin: Austria
- Period: Folk art
- Date of manufacture: Circa 1900
- Condition: Good. Polychromy shows even wear consistent with age. May show marks and signs of use. Wear consistent with age and use.
This piece is part of the curated collection of Amaru Antiques, Barcelona.
ONE OF A KIND PIECE
