Cupboard - Oak

Brabantese five-door wardrobe, also known as milk cupboard but that is a romanticized term.

Authentic furniture, appeared in both Belgian Brabant and Dutch North Brabant.
Characteristic are the proportions, wider than high.

Beautiful blond oak that is quarter-sawn.
In the panels of the doors there is a fine distribution with inlaid moldings.
This treatment appeared only at the end of the 17th century.
That is why I date the cabinet to the late 17th/early 18th century.
320 - 350 years old, and beautifully preserved.

The hinges have been replaced at some point – in the detail photos I have examples where you can still see the imprint of the original 17th-century hinges.
Those black spots with that hole in the middle were the shape of the wrought iron – it ran diagonally through the wood to come out at the front to the outside.
There they appear as sturdy 'short' jaw hinges.
This method is seen only in Brabant wardrobes.
I once had another 16th-century Brabant wardrobe where these hinges were still in place.

A nice feature is also that the fittings with the lock plate and dove-shaped handle are pewter-plated. (original)
Those dove-shaped handles are typical for Dutch early furniture.

Behind the door in the middle-top six small drawers were added later.
see detail photo.

In the cap you see drop-shaped forms cut out – these are called 'knorren' and that is typical of the Renaissance.
The top panel is still intact and has a beautiful patina.
You can see it because the cabinet is 126 cm high.
Ideal for decorative objects.