EXTRAORDINARY RUSTIC, ADIRONDACK CABIN FORM PINE BARK CABINET CIRCA 1900

EXTRAORDINARY RUSTIC, ADIRONDACK CABIN FORM PINE BARK CABINET CIRCA 1900

05-95

This truly unique example of rustic furniture dates to the turn of the 19th century and is unquestionably the finest example of such furniture that we have ever had the opportunity to handle over these many years in the business.

In the late 19th century rusticators became aware of the benefits and enjoyment of communing with nature in wilderness areas. Many of these rusticators in the later part of the 19th century began to frequent the Adirondack region, upper New England and Maine, particularly some of the most beautiful wilderness areas. Most rusticators were people of means and as such began to build magnificent cabins and lodges on bodies of water in remote regions. Some of these cabins were truly masterful with ornamental twig and root embellishments and other forms of naturalistic composition in their design. It was during this time that a great movement began for handmaking special rustic forms of furniture to furnish and decorate these magnificent lodges. Eventually much of the rustic or Adirondack type of furniture became commercially made mass produced such as old hickory furniture etc. In the late 20th and early 21st century a tremendous revival in Adirondack furniture began and a number of skilled craftsmen began to create fanciful pieces ornamented with birch bark, pine bark, twigs, carving etc. Some of these more contemporary pieces today bring extraordinary sums of money.

This two part cabinet is not a modern piece but was produced during the height of the rustic movement in the late 19th, early 20th century. It is unquestionably unique and entailed a significant amount of effort in the creation and productivity. The cabinet untouched and original condition (with the exception of replaced shelves in top). It is designed in the form of an Adirondack cabin replete with a roof shaped top, windows and gables. It was made and designed for potentially two purposes; one as a gun safe and is currently fitted with a rack on the upper portion to display and accommodate a number of firearms, but the upper portion can easily be converted to a bookcase by simply unscrewing the rack that would hold guns and insert three velvet lined covered shelves to utilize as a bookcase instead. The cabin form has a pitched roof and gable windows, but is entirely clad in pieces of pine bark. The upper section with the pitch roof and gable windows and has two full length glass doors which open to reveal the interior which as indicated can serve as a gun cabinet or bookcase. The lower portion consists of a full length drawer at top, a bank of three smaller drawers on the left and a bark clad door on the right that opens to reveal a shelved interior. This phenomenal piece is untouched and unaltered on the exterior and has an absolutely wonderful patina that has evolved over the years on the bark surface. The interior of the upper cabinet has been relined with green velvet and as indicated is fitted with a gun rack now which can be utilized or the gun rack can be removed and the three velvet lined shelves which accompany the cabinet can be utilized instead to make a bookcase.

This is truly a unique and wonderful original period piece of rustic furniture, the quality of which is almost never found today.

SIZE: 82″ h x 31″ w x 16″ d.