Rare Colonial Kauri Gum Chest of Drawers

A rare model colonial kauri gum chest of drawers, the two…
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A rare model colonial kauri gum chest of drawers, the two drawers with bun handles and hand form pulls, shaped panelled sides, raised on four claw feet, the top with fancy upstand back and oversized turned finials, highlights of cherub and florals encased within panels. 12 x 10 x 19 cm. Mounted on original faded velvet plinth with circular ebonised base, under glass dome. Some loses and restoration. Provenance: from the estate of R.K. Garlick (arrived in New Zealand in 1862) who was the owner of one of the first gum trading shops in Fort Street. The Garlicks lived in 'Ferndale'; one of Mt. Albert's stately homes. The Garlick & Lyon gum merchants store established in the 1880s had a 90ft frontage and cost £4,500 to set up.

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  • Finial - An architectural decoration, found on the upper parts of of an object. On furniture they are usually found on pediments, canopies and shelf supports. On smaller ceramic or silver items, such as spoons, they may decorate the top of the item itself, or the lid or cover where they provide a useful handle for removal.

    Finials have a variety of shapes and forms. They may be urn-shaped, baluster shaped round or spiral, but usually taper into an upper point. Many real life shapes may also be used as finials, such as pineapples, berries, pinecones, buds, lotus and acorns. Sometimes animals such as a lion are depicted, or fish and dolphins.
  • Kauri - An evergreen conifer tree associated with New Zealand, but also grown in northern Australia, and islands around the Pacific rim including Borneo, Vanuatu and New Guinea. The timber is generally golden in colour, and straight grained without much knotting.

    A by-product of the kauri tree was the kauri gum, the fossilised resin extracted from the tree. The gum was obtained through digging, fossicking in treetops, or more drastically, by bleeding live trees. Kauri gum was used in the manufacture of varnishes and other resin-based products, and also crafted into jewellery, keepsakes, and small decorative items.

    Kauri forests were prolific in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. European settlers in the 1700 and 1800s realised that the timber from these tall trees with broad trunks would be ideal for ship building and construction and a thriving industry was established harvesting the kauri tree. The forests were substantially reduced, and now the remaining Kauri trees that grow in New Zealand are protected, and there are reserves in various areas of the North Island.

    The remaining stands of kauri in New Zealand are under threat from "kauri disease", a microscopic organism that causes dieback in the trees, with vast tracts either dead or dying.

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