French Polychrome Painted Chest and Mirror Set

• Polychrome - Made or finished in many colours. For furniture, it is used to indicated a painted finish.
• Commode - The word "commode" when used to describe an item of furniture, has three usuages:
  
  1. As used to describe an item of English furniture, it refers to what is euphemistically called a 'night table', that is a small cabinet concealing a chamber pot.
  
  2. In its 18th century French usuage it describes a low and highly decorated chest of drawers for salons and reception rooms. A bombe commode is a commode with rounded sides and front, giving the chest a somewhat swollen look.
  
  3. It is also used to denote a half round or serpentine shaped cabinet, with panelled doors, standing on legs. They were pieces on which the cabinetmaker lavished his most accomplished art, with rich veneers, marquetry inlays, gilt mounts and other ornamentation.
• Panels - Timber pieces, usually of well-figured wood either recessed or applied over the frames of doors and as decoration elsewhere in the carcase of cabinet furniture. The panels may take a variety of shapes rectangular, square, shield shape, oval, half-round or in the form of Egyptian pylons.
• Pierced Decoration - Ornamental woodwork with part of the background cut through and removed to produce an open-work pattern.
• Foliate - Decorated with leaves or leaf-like forms.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• chests of drawers, material - painted 68
• chests of drawers, period - Victorian 1,216
• chests of drawers, style - three drawer 309
• commodes and chests, finish - painted 35