Rather than having the traditional brushing-slide, this chest-of -drawers is equipped as a writing-desk. This ingenious design is quite rare and demonstrates the same principles as the bachelor's chest, those of a discreet, multipurpose piece of furniture. A similar, but wider red walnut bachelor's chest with three small frieze drawers below the hinged top was sold anonymously at Sotheby's London, 19 February 1993, lot 84. The brass back-plates of this chest are engraved in the distinctive style of the early 18th Century, such as appears on metalwork designs illustrated in N. Goodison, 'The Victoria and Albert Museum's Collection of Metal-Work Pattern Books', The Furniture History Society Journal, Leeds, 1975, p. 26 and pl. 3.