CIRCA 1780

The distinctive, almost spare pattern to the inlay, particularly to the panels on the uprights, sets this pair of elegant commodes apart from other examples of the period. The further use of cedar on the backs of the doors could indicate that these elegant commodes were made by a German émigré cabinet-maker as it was frequently used to line 18th century German furniture. Throughout the 18th century, German cabinet-makers had been coming to London to work for their English counterparts or establish their own workshops. They would no doubt have been influenced by the published designs of English furniture makers such as Thomas Chippendale, Thomas Sheraton and George Hepplewhite. These pattern books were also subscribed to by German makers who copied their designs or clearly used them for inspiration as seen in H. Kreisel, Die Kunst des Deustchen Möbels, Vol II, Munich, 1973, among which include figs 48-66-8, 71-2, 125,130 and 220.