A Late 18th Century Directoire Period Walnut Commode

A fine late 18th century Directoire Period walnut commode, the panelled top above three short and two long drawers with brass lozenge lock escutcheons and rectangular handles with hexagonal back plates, flanked on either side by fluted column corners, the whole raised upon turned tapering feet.

This commode was crafted in the short Transitional Period between Louis XVI and the French Empire Style, an epoch known as the Directoire. It is strictly Classical in form and bears no trace of the Rococo or softer classicism of Louis XVI designs. Its drawers and handles are entirely rectangular, the lock escutcheons of lozenge shape and its legs rounded and column-like. Architectural influences clearly dominate this piece which is only accentuated by the rich colour of the wood.