William & Mary commode. England, ca. 1680

William & Mary commode. England, ca. 1680.
Oak and walnut.
Metal handles.
Exhibits wear consistent with age and use.
Measurements: 100 x 110 x 55 cm.
English chest of drawers made of mahogany wood, which rises on legs of cut section and consists of five drawers, the last two united in a single register. The design, sober and elegant according to the William & Mary period style, has as its only decorative element a geometric pattern housed in the drawers and prints an attractive molded pattern based on diamonds 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 emphasized both straight lines and curves, with elaborate carvings and wood turning, the style was one of the first to imitate Asian design elements 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 reigns, as did several of the Dutch furniture makers. Although the movement toward what would become known as the William and Mary style had begun during the reign of Charles II of England, primarily 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.