Jan & John Maggs

Antiques and Art

An early oak Westmoreland “hanging” cupboard

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Not a cupboard that hangs on a wall, but one in which clothing is meant to be hung, this is our first example of this rare form, an ancestor of the 18th-century wardrobe.

The piece is of joined, paneled construction, with two paneled doors mounted on the front, between a row of three fluted panels above and three plain panels beneath. This arrangement of frieze and base is continued on the sides, which have a single fluted panel and three pairs of undecorated panels. The back has three ranks of five plain panels each. The top and base are boarded, and the interior is fitted with five pegs for hanging clothing.

The piece is in quite good condition, but we should note areas which have been restored. The cupboard has suffered from dry rot over its life, and several small areas, particularly in the back, have been patched. The pin hinging of one of the doors has been repaired, the feet have been pieced, and the cornice and the boards forming the top have been replaced. The surface has been treated with a thin layer of beeswax, but the appearance of the exterior is decidedly country.

English, Lake District, ca. 1680

Width: 56”; Height: 59 ½”; Depth: 23”

Price: $1,450

Inventory #26536

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