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Help identifying a rosewood sideboard!  

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Dorian C
(@dorian-c)
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Joined: 2026 years ago
Posts: 7
26/10/2015 4:19 pm  

Hi everyone !

I have recently acquired a wonderful quality rosewood sideboard and I haven't been able to identify its designer or maker.

It is entirely veneered in rosewood, including the back of the sideboard, which is rather extraordinary. The edges are solid rosewood, and rounded. It is beautifully fitted in rosewood too. The drawers are oak lined.

I would be very grateful to anyone's thoughts and opinion !

Very much looking forward to hear

All the best,

Dorian
<img class="wpforo-default-image-attachment wpf


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cdsilva
(@cdsilva)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 2051
26/10/2015 7:17 pm  

Interesting details.
1) Do those front doors utilize mechanical push latches, as I don't see any handholds? If so, I would think you'd be able to date a start point for those. My guess would be 70's.
2) Are there any areas where you can determine the substrate under the veneer. Particle board would also indicate 70's and later construction.
3) Are metal glides used for the sliding drawers, or is it simply wood with grooves?


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Dorian C
(@dorian-c)
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Joined: 2026 years ago
Posts: 7
16/11/2015 3:34 pm  

Hi Cdsilva,
Thanks for your response and comments,
Yes, the front doors utilize mechanical push latches
There aren't metal glides for the drawers, just wood
Do you ave any idea of who the maker might be?
All best 1
D


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
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Posts: 5660
16/11/2015 3:44 pm  

I've seen plenty of stuff from the 60s with particle board substrate.
More photos of the details cdsilva mentioned might be helpful. I doubt you are going to indentify this sideboard easily. the more photographs you take of little, unimportant ugly details the more likely someone here might be able to help.
Are he legs rosewood?
I suspect it is Norwegian just based on the doors without handles. And the rosewood.


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Dorian C
(@dorian-c)
Active Member
Joined: 2026 years ago
Posts: 7
16/11/2015 4:06 pm  

Hi Leif, thank you very much for your message,
I attach some photographs of details
The inside of the drawers are made of oak
I can't see what's under the rosewood veneer
Thank you for your help !
All the best,
Dorian




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tktoo
(@tktoo)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 2287
16/11/2015 4:51 pm  

If it makes a difference to those in the know, the dovetails are hand-cut as are the corners of the stopped ends of the dados in the drawer sides.
What I find a tad odd is the grain orientation of the back panel. I don't think it was ever intended to be displayed.
Possibly a custom piece? Maybe English? I'd be curious to measure it just to see if the dims seem to be metric or not. Whoever made it was pretty exacting. Might be a clue.
FWIW, those exact touch latches still seem to be widely available from both US and European outlets.


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leif ericson - Zephyr Renner
(@leif-ericson)
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Posts: 5660
16/11/2015 5:24 pm  

This could possibly be English. I prefer Norwegian by a lot though. It could be Danish too. But the handle-less doors really was a very Norwegian thing; I have no idea why.. And I suspect it is going to be a very difficult piece to identify. I love seeing the hand work that Tktoo points out, but it also suggest it came from a very low volume shop, and quite possibly is custom, or semi custom (i.e. made to order), and finding documentation on that sort of thing can be very difficult.
If you can find more drawers with those hand cut dovetails and that square cut stopped dado (the square end would have been hand cut with a chisel), then the odds are high you've found a piece by the same workshop. And if you are lucky such a piece might have a story with it of who made it. Or maybe it might be marked, although I wouldn't be surprised if this workshop never marked its wares.
What does the bottom of the case look like?


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cdsilva
(@cdsilva)
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Posts: 2051
16/11/2015 5:27 pm  

Solid rosewood fronts for the hidden drawers? Pretty fancy.
I've got a later production Ditzel rosewood desk, whose exposed front drawers are veneer. Each time I see the earlier production desks with the solid fronts with carved-out pulls, I get a little envious.
It's also interesting to see the comparison between darker rosewood interior and faded exterior. I personally like that medium rosewood fade where the color is still mostly there, but the grain is more pronounced.
Sorry, but I have no idea who made your credenza.


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tktoo
(@tktoo)
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16/11/2015 5:40 pm  

The drawer fronts are certainly veneered over what appears to be solid, darker-colored wood. Maybe mahogany.
I'd pull all the drawers to look for marks on unseen surfaces and ID the joinery (frame backs and bottoms), which would also be a clue.


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cdsilva
(@cdsilva)
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Posts: 2051
16/11/2015 5:45 pm  

Yes, of course you are correct, tk. That's what I get for not taking a closer look at the photo.
The swing door veneer was a bit easier to see, especially with a couple of small chips on the top edge.


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tktoo
(@tktoo)
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16/11/2015 5:55 pm  

Solid rosewood is notoriously unstable if the grain is not almost perfectly straight. Adding the expense and sheer weight helps explain why it's almost exclusively used as veneer. The photo in the OP of the open cabinet is the giveaway. The veneers on the drawers are sequentially cut.


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Dorian C
(@dorian-c)
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Joined: 2026 years ago
Posts: 7
16/11/2015 6:31 pm  

Gosh, thank you all so much for your insights, most appreciated.
I attach pics of the back end of drawers, and of the inside of the sideboard, behind the drawers, which is also rosewood veneered
So I understand for you all that it is a rather unique piece?




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Dorian C
(@dorian-c)
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Joined: 2026 years ago
Posts: 7
16/11/2015 6:32 pm  

And also 2 pics of the underside of the sideboard:



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tktoo
(@tktoo)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 2287
16/11/2015 6:47 pm  

Where are you, Dorian?
If the secondary wood is red oak, it's almost certain that the piece is North American!
Oops! Failed to check your user profile!


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Dorian C
(@dorian-c)
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Joined: 2026 years ago
Posts: 7
16/11/2015 7:56 pm  

@ tktoo I am in London


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