The serpentined chest-of-drawers is designed in the elegant mid-18th Century 'Picturesque' manner that evolved in part from an engraving of a Louis Quatorze sarcophagus 'commode' chest after a design by Jean Bérain (d. 1711). The ribbon-scrolled stand, with wave-voluted feet, is further enriched with flowers, reeds and Roman acanthus, while its lambrequin cartouche displays an antique-fretted shell recalling the Roman nature deity Venus. Amongst the related stands for commodes and chests-of-drawers displaying this shell badge or a shell-scalloped cartouche is one formerly in the collection of Henry Hirsch, Esq., sold in these Rooms, 10-11 July 1931, lot 83 (£546 to M. Harris). Their aprons relate to the seat frames of a suite of seat furniture supplied by William Vile and John Cobb to the Hon. John Damer of Came House, Dorset, between 1756-62 (A. Oswald, 'Came House, Dorset - II', Country Life, 27 February 1953, p. 574, figs. 7 & 8).

A commode of related form was sold from the Collection of Samuel Messer, Esq., in these Rooms 5 December 1991, lot 106 (£88,000) and a similar commode was offered by Michael Lipitch, Sotheby's London, 22 May 1998, lot 342.