A Stately Lady

At the end of this past summer, my father in law gave me a beautiful family treasure. It is a triple bow-front china cabinet that belonged to his step-father's grandparents. Not only is it a glorious piece of family history, it is a stunning example of Early American Arts and Crafts Movement cabinetry. It is stamped Grand Rapids MI and was made from quarter sawn oak somewhere between 1890 and 1920. From what I have read on the internet I am guessing this particular example is from right around 1900.

I am just gaga over it. The detail on it is reminiscent of a time long past. That is one of the reasons I love antiques so much. It is so cliche to say, they don't make things like they used to, but in this case, its the honest truth.

The claw feet and the tulip like carvings on the top are hand carved, unlike today's furniture, which is mostly machine made. The cabinet compliments an antique cedar hope chest handed down to me through my fathers side of the family. That too has intricate carved detailing and was made around roughly the same time frame. There are no maker marks on it though, so I have yet to establish where that piece was made.

You can see the tiger stripe of the wood well in this photo. That is what quarter-sawn oak looks like. Quarter sawn or quartermortersawn, as it is known to woodworkers,  is the way the wood is cut against the grain. It brings out the natural rings in the wood and allows for greater stability of form and size. Although more expensive, the reason that quarter sawn wood was preferred  is that when used, it is difficult for the wood to warp and it allows for less shrinkage. It makes for beautiful long lasting furniture.

I loaded her right up with a few of my flea market finds. The two plates in the back are Johnson Brothers and the pattern is called Rose Chinz. The delicate coffee cups are Staffordshire and I don't know the maker of the soup tureen. I found all of these goodies at my local flea market for less than $10. Can you believe it?! The plates alone are worth $15 ea and the cups about $7.00 ea. I bought all 8 for .50 a piece. I so love a great bargain! I was eager to scoop them up, for while they adorn my china cabinet now, they will one day grace the table at Sandi's future bed and breakfast. 

I have included a photo of how I decorated the cabinet for the fall. The mirror on top was a happy accident. I purchased it at a flea market 3 years ago, I fell in love with it when I spotted it hiding under a bunch of old picture frames. It has a lovely patina to the glass and it reminds me of the mercury glass that I love so. Since we moved I had been patiently waiting for the Mr. to hang it up on the wall. Well, since he was taking his sweet old time and I was fearful that the either Tyler or Tutie would knock it over and break it, I put it on top of the cabinet. I was so surprised it looked like it was meant to be right up there on top. 

 Right now this grand lady is loaded up with my collection of vintage Christmas bulbs. One of these years I am going to find a tin tree so I can do a 1950's inspired tree. I'm such a nut for vintage finds :-)

I will be putting the finishing touches on my Christmas tree this week so I promise to have a post ready for you soon. But just to be a good neighbor, I will share a pic of my 2010 tree. Come back this week to see the full unveiling of my 2011 tree.