Charles II Oak Chest with Laburnum Inlay

• Laburnum - Native to Europe and the United States, Laburnum timber is used as inlay, marquetry and oyster veneer on furniture pieces from the 17th century. It has a beautiful, rich golden colour and interesting grain patterns. It can also be used in small turned items, such as knobs or handles, where its density and hardness can be an advantage. Laburnum is not commonly used in furniture construction due to its tendency to warp and split when exposed to changes in temperature and humidity. It is also a relatively hard and dense wood, which makes it difficult to work with hand tools.
• 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.
• Stile - A cabinetmaker's term that refers to the vertical end members of the framework in a panelled item of furniture. The vertical mid-members are known as muntins.
• Oak - Native to Europe and England, oak has been used for joinery, furniture and building since the beginning of the medieval civilisation. It is a pale yellow in colour when freshly cut and darkens with age to a mid brown colour.
  
  Oak as a furniture timber was superceded by walnut in the 17th century, and in the 18th century by mahogany,
  
  Semi-fossilised bog oak is black in colour, and is found in peat bogs where the trees have fallen and been preserved from decay by the bog. It is used for jewellery and small carved trinkets.
  
  Pollard oak is taken from an oak that has been regularly pollarded, that is the upper branches have been removed at the top of the trunk, result that new branches would appear, and over time the top would become ball-like. . When harvested and sawn, the timber displays a continuous surface of knotty circles. The timber was scarce and expensive and was used in more expensive pieces of furniture in the Regency and Victorian periods.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• chests of drawers, material - oak 321