Rosewood Side Cabinet with Brass Grill and Marble Top

• Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
• Rosewood - A dense timber that varies in shade to very light brown to almost black. When rosewood is cut and sanded the colour of the timber will turn black, and after polishing and exposure to daylight, the surface will gradually lighten over time to light brown with black streaks.
  
  The name comes from the odour emanating from the timber when it is planed, sanded or cut.
  
  Rosewood was very popular for use in Victorian furniture in the second half of the 19th century, and at that time most of the rosewood was imported from Brazil. However it also grows in India and Indonesia.
  
  It is used in the sold for chairs and table legs, but for carcase furniture such as side cabinets and bookcases, and for table tops it is always used as a veneer.
• Grilles - Lattice work, generally in brass, popular in door fronts during the Regency period, especially on such salon pieces as chiffoniers, small bookcases and so on. Very often, the grille was backed with silk to produce an elegant effect. Early grilles were notched at each crossover and the joint may be hidden by an embossed stud. Grilles are uncommon on Australian furniture of the period, doors being either glazed or panelled.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• cabinets, material - rosewood 138
• cabinets, period or style - Georgian 274
• side cabinets 226