Purchased this piece at an estate sale for $50. I don't know much about it, except the seller told me it belonged to his grandmother, and she had it "forever." It was in pretty rough shape, incredibly dried out and very dusty, but I thought it had a lot of character, and a can of Lemon Pledge, some Windex, and several rolls of paper towels and cotton swabs, uncovered it's natural beauty!
There are no markings anywhere on this item (I looked in, on, around, behind and under). It has a "handmade," rustic craftsmanship to it. The back of the piece has three rustic slat boards running horizontally, holding the backboard in place. The glass may have been replaced at some point as the inside door moulding that holds the glass in place was rudimentally hammered in place (nails are bent) and the pieces do not match up in the corners.
There are two full-length front doors with skeleton keys that came with it, and the locks work. and it sits/rolls on four wooden casters with metal "shields" that are somewhat rusted. The sides are glass and fixed. There are plate grooves on both shelves, so it may have originally been a small china cabinet?
The front, top center detail is very fragile, about as thin as veneer or balsa wood, and some of the decorative "arches" have broken off. I believe there was at least a second similar design on the bottom center pane, but that was not in place when I purchased it.
Lastly, the "medallion" on the top center is affixed to a single strip of wood that has been cut to "trace" the line of this detail.
I have no plans to sell, I think it's a charming piece, and it fits my rustic, primitive, country decor. I am just curious as to when and where something like this would have been crafted.
Thanks in advance!
P.S. I apologize for the picture that shows the entire piece, I couldn't make the image small enough , yet visible and uploadable. If you need another picture, I will try again! :)
