William & Mary chest of drawers. England, ca. 1680

William & Mary commode. England, ca. 1680.
Oak and walnut.
Metal handles.
With marks of use.
Measurements: 100 x 110 x 55 cm.
English chest of drawers made of mahogany wood, which stands on legs with cut-out sections and consists of five drawers, the last two of which are joined together in a single register. The design, sober and elegant in the William & Mary period style, has as its only decorative element a geometric pattern housed in the drawers and imprints an attractive moulded pattern based on rhombuses and edges on the front.
The William and Mary style is a furniture design common from 1700 to 1725 in the Netherlands, England, Scotland and later in England's American colonies. It was a transitional style between Mannerist furniture and Queen Anne furniture. A sturdy piece of furniture whose design emphasised both straight lines and curves, with elaborate carvings and wood turning, the style was one of the first to imitate elements of Asian design such as Japanese. In 1688, James II of England was deposed by his daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange, in what became known as the "Glorious Revolution". William and Mary brought a taste for Dutch furniture styles to their kingdoms, as did several of the Dutch furniture makers. Although the movement towards what would become known as the William and Mary style had begun during the reign of Charles II of England, mainly due to the influence of his Portuguese-born queen, Catherine of Braganza, the style became widely defined and accepted during the reign of William and Mary.