Antique low pine furniture – Central Europe, around 1870

This old low pine wood piece of furniture is a peasant item from Central Europe with two doors and a pivoting wooden latch. It originates from Central Europe, from the last third of the 19th century, where the board was roughly shaped with an axe and assembled without hardware. It is subsistence carpentry, not cabinetmaking: the piece was made with household tools and available wood. The entire locking mechanism is resolved by a piece of wood pivoting on a peg, with not a single hardware piece on the visible face. The case is made of solid pine, with uprights extended into feet. The top overhangs on the sides and ends in a slightly cut profile. Two board doors, without a frame or panel, close the front on a single volume interior. The surface retains the diagonal marks of the axe, very visible in low light on the doors. An incised zigzag frieze runs along the top rail, the only decorative gesture of the piece. The wood has taken on a uniform honey tone. Details. Dimensions: Length 81 cm – Depth 50 cm – Height 71 cm. Style: Folk art of Central Europe. Materials and techniques: Pine wood; axe work; mortise and tenon joinery; wooden latch; incised frieze. Place of origin: Central Europe. Period: 19th-century folk art. Date of manufacture: Circa 1870. Condition / Observations: Good. Visible axe marks on the front and a uniform honey tone due to use. Wear consistent with age and use.