Victorian Mahogany Chest of Drawers

• Mahogany - Mahogany is a dense, close grained red-coloured timber from the West Indies and Central America. It was first imported into Europe in the the early 18th century and its use continued through the 19th century. It was popular for furniture making because of its strength, the wide boards available, the distinctive grain on some boards, termed flame mahogany and the rich warm colour of the timber when it was polished.. The "flame" was produced where a limb grew out from the trunk of the tree, and this timber was usually sliced into veneers for feature panels on doors, backs and cornices.
  
  Some terms used to describe mahogany relate to the country from which it originally came, such as "Cuban" mahogany, "Honduras" mahogany etc. However unless the wood has been tested the names assigned are more a selling feature, rather than a true indication of the timber's origin.
• Cock Beading - A thin, slightly rounded timber moulding, projecting about 2mm around the edges of a drawer. It was introduced in the early 18th century, essentially to protect the veneer on the drawer-fronts from damage, though the decorative possibilities of cock beading were soon realized. The device continued to be used well into the 19th century. Cock beading is either glued or pinned to the upper and lower lips of a drawer and into shallow rebates on each side. The joints are neatly mitred, and crude butt joints should therefore be treated with suspicion.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• chests of drawers, material - mahogany 898