Gustavian Swedish Stripped Pine Blonde Chest of Six Drawers by Karl Johan, 1840s

An extremely rare, hugely impressive, sizeable and strikingly attractive antique Scandinavian stripped pine chest in lovely antique condition with six lockable drawers and original key. Most likely made in Sweden around 1840 in the Gustavian/Karl Johan style, this spectacular Highboy/Tallboy or Semainier chest of drawers will add authentic antique Scandinavian quality, gorgeous light blonde colouring and an understatedly magnificent aesthetic to any interior.

Featuring six large, lockable drawers of varying depths, it is especially rare for having the original, rather magnificent, gilded key and matching keyhole escutcheons. Also rare are the fabulous handle-less drawers, which create a stately, minimalist aesthetic in the early-to-mid 19th Century Swedish Karl Johan style, which was heavily influenced by the majestic grandeur of the continental Empire and Biedermeier furniture styles.

Also particularly rare for being so impressively sized, this reassuringly heavy, highly usable, useful and versatile chest of drawers makes a truly striking impact. Traditionally hand-crafted from excellent quality solid pine, it was likely originally painted in the Swedish late-18th/early-19th century Gustavian fashion. with its current stripped and waxed look it would suit pretty much any interior style, or it could be repainted to echo its original regal antique Scandinavian look. Either way, it’s sure to be a knockout and displays some beautiful flourishes of traditional craftsmanship.

Crafted from solid pine, it has a lovely, grand, double-receding-bordered, three-sided lower apron base, supported by four sturdy-yet-elegantly-decorative, turned and fluted tapering legs. The two front stiles are decorated with grand, Gustavian fluted ornamentation to match the legs, and it has a substantial pronounced and tiered, solid pine slab top with pine veneer over-top.

Traditional dovetail and tongue-and-groove joints are proudly on display throughout and to the back you can see that the drawer runners are pronounced outward from the rear stiles and original backboard for the ultimate sturdiness – a lovely extra touch of authentic antique craftsmanship on display!

All in all this is a quite extraordinary, hugely impressive, sizeable and extremely rare chest of drawers. Whether it’s used in a bedroom, hallway, office, or wherever you choose, it won’t fail to add distinguished stripped-back Gustavian grandeur to any setting.

CONDITION
This is in good-to-very-good antique condition. Solid, sturdy, reassuringly heavy and structurally sound, it was clearly expertly hand-crafted from excellent quality pine. The locks and key still work beautifully, and it has only minor signs or wear to show its age, including a few dinks, some inconspicuous wear to the over-top veneer and some historic woodworm holes to the rear and lower areas, for which the whole piece has been thoroughly treated for good measure. Overall this is an incredible piece in lovely antique condition, and if well looked after, it should be just as breath-taking for generations to come – please see the photos.

MEASUREMENTS
Height – 141cm, Width – 80cm, Depth – 48.5cm, Drawers Internal Height – 8.75-15cm, Drawers Internal Width – 66.5cm, Drawers Internal Depth – 36.5cm, Est Weight – 40-60kg.