Summary:

• Item: Art Deco Sideboard
• Circa: 1930
• Provenance: Manchester, England UK
• Attributed to Harry & Lou Epstein Ltd.
• Wood: Amboyna
• Width: 152cm / 60” / 5ft
• Mirror matched amboyna timbers
• “Skyscraper” design
• Scallop shaped central doors
• Four infernal central drawers
• Internal shelves either side
• Original decorative metal door handles
• Original working locks (with key) & latches
• Block shape recessed plinth
• Original backboards
• Stunning colour & quality
• Excellent original condition
• Ideal in the hallway, dining or living room
• Free delivery to England, Wales & southern Scotland*
• Free 14-day UK returns policy

Description:

This is a fine quality English Art Deco sideboard, constructed in amboyna wood, featuring a skyscraper design, with internal drawers and shelves, circa 1930, attributed to Harry & Lou Epstein Ltd., in excellent original condition.  The whole piece is decorated with its original stunning quality book-marked amboyna timbers in the form of a “skyscraper” breakfront design, with a taller central section and two lower side sections.  It is quite rare to find furniture made with amboyna wood; this signifies the quality of this particular sideboard.  This Art Deco sideboard is decorated with two decorative scallop shaped central doors, which open to reveal a bank of four drawers, retaining their original recessed brass handles.  The mahogany-lined drawers have been constructed with hand-dovetail joints and the drawer interiors have been cleaned.  The door fronts retain the original shaped decorative metal handles.  The doors also retain their original metal sliding door bolts and the original brass lever lock (with key).  The central section is flanked by two curved doors, which open to reveal two internal fixed shelves on the left-hand side, and a single fixed central shelf on the right-hand side of the Art Deco sideboard.  The Art Deco cabinet is raised on a block shaped recessed plinth.  This Art Deco cabinet boasts classic Art Deco styling; this is evident in the curved corners and clean lines.  The amboyna sideboard is solid in joint and ready to use.

The Art Deco sideboard boasts a mellow golden colour.  This can only be achieved through age and the years of care and cleaning it has received.  The item has been cleaned and French polished in our workshop to professional standard.

The Art Deco sideboard is an excellent investment and would look superb in either a traditional or contemporary setting, in a variety of rooms, such as the dining room, living room or hallway.  It would certainly grace any home.  So, don’t miss out on your chance to own a lovely piece of furniture.

Provenance – H & L Epstein Ltd.:

Originally founded in the 1890s by Morris Epstein, the Epstein Company would become one of the most recognisable and high-quality producers of Art Deco furniture from the 1930s to the 1950s.  The Epstein family were amongst a number of Jewish immigrants from the Baltic States and the Balkans, who then established a cabinet-making community in London’s East End, particularly in the Shoreditch area.  Initially, they traded out of furniture outlets in the area, such as Weinbau, Caplan & Percy Young.  All of Morris’ six sons carried on in the furniture-making profession, and in 1929, two of his sons – Harry and Lou – established H & L Epstein Furniture Designers and Manufacturers and by the 1930s the company totalled 15 men, with Harry as designer and Lou as cabinetmaker.  Harry and Lou, as well as their brothers David, Michael and Sidney, would go on to establish their own shops and showrooms in London, Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin.

Epstein’s furniture was influenced by customers whose tastes echoed the avant-garde styles such as those seen at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts which occurred in Paris in 1925.  In particular, they were well-known for cloud-shape designs, featured on lounge and dining suites, and boat-based designs featured on tables and cabinets.  They also took a significant amount of commissions, producing furniture to customer specifications, using materials such as burr maple, sycamore and walnut veneer, all of which was hand made using traditional cabinetmaking skills.

Earlier furniture, before 1940, while not stamped, can still be recognised due to its style, materials used, and quality of construction.  From the 1950s, Epstein furniture started being constructed with ivorine labels, either stamped ‘H & L Epstein Ltd’ or ‘Epstein & Goldman’.  Epstein furniture was widely considered as being of very high quality, and consequently their pieces are very sought-after today.

Sources: https://artdecosociety.uk/2020/04/29/cloud-suites-and-cocktail-bars/  and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco

Condition Report:

This is a fine quality English Art Deco sideboard, constructed in amboyna wood, featuring a skyscraper design, with internal drawers and shelves, circa 1930, attributed to Harry & Lou Epstein Ltd., in excellent original condition.  The amboyna exterior has been cleaned and French polished by hand, to a professional standard, in our workshop, therefore the colour and patination are of an excellent finish.  The amboyna timbers are original and in excellent overall condition.   Nominal old use marks to the leading edges but nothing significant considering the age of the item.  The drawer interiors have also been cleaned.  The drawers are in good working order and are constructed with mahogany linings and hand-dovetail construction.  The drawers are fitted with the original brass recessed handles.  The door fronts retain the original shaped decorative metal handles.  The doors also retain their original metal sliding door bolts and the original brass lever lock (with key) and original metal sliding door bolts.  This Art Deco walnut sideboard is solid in joint and ready to be used.

Dimensions:

Height (Centre) = 99cm / 39” / 3ft 3”
Width = 152cm / 60” / 5ft
Depth (excluding handles) = 56cm / 22” / 1ft 10”
Depth (including handles) = 58cm / 22⅞” / 1ft 10⅞”

Terms & Conditions:

Before you purchase this item, please ensure you have read and are in agreement with our Terms & Conditions of Sale. If you have any questions regarding our Terms & Conditions of Sale, please contact us to discuss them, before purchasing this item.

Ref. 82939