Louis XV Walnut Dressing Chest with Mirror and Cabriole Legs

• Dressing Chest - A low chest of drawers with a mirror, either at the rear ("dressing table style" ) or on the underside of a lid, sometimes with a kneehole front.
• Cabriole Leg - The cabriole leg evolved from an elongated scroll, curving out at the knee which may or may not be carved, and forming a serpentine shape as it descends to the foot.
  
  First introduced into English furniture in the late 17th century, cabriole legs were widely used during the Queen Anne and early Georgian periods, where they frequently terminated in a pad foot or ball and claw foot. The style has had many imitators since then. The cabriole leg was re-introduced in the mid-19th century, and is commonly associated with the balloon-back dining or drawing-room chairs made in walnut, mahogany or, in Australia, cedar. The Victorian cabriole leg, on the whole, was rather more slender than the earlier form, following the French style, which emphasized the delicacy and daintiness of the chairs they were designed to support. Cabriole legs are sometimes found on windsor chairs, especially those made during the 18th century.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• chests of drawers, material - walnut 480
• chests of drawers, period - Louis style 484
• chests of drawers, style
  • dressing 31
  • four drawer 260