Seeking information about a very old piece of furniture

April 15, 2013 5:05 PM

Are you an antique furniture expert? What can you tell me about this piece?

I'm going to an auction tomorrow with this in it. It looks really old to me. Can you tell me anything about it? And why are there mortise holes at the tops of the front legs? Thanks!

posted by crazylegs to Home & Garden (3 answers total)

It's probably not that old. It's Indian, most likely a dowry chest. I have one that looks like this one, or this one, and it's not remotely 200 years old, and I didn't pay anything close to that amount. More info. There's modern copies around, made of old wood, too.
posted by Ideefixe at 5:29 PM on April 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Oh, and I think the holes are where a rod or a pole can be pushed through so it can be carried. Usually used for storing blankets, etc.
posted by Ideefixe at 5:30 PM on April 15, 2013

I agree that it's Indian, but I don't know why you'd say it couldn't be 200 years old. It's not a fine example, but that doesn't mean it's recent.
posted by Miko at 9:11 PM on April 15, 2013