A small 18th century Welsh Yew spice cupboard Sold
A wonderful small 18th century spice cupboard, made from ash, fruitwood and yew.
Small cupboards were used for storing food, salt & spices. These food stuffs were very important and were used for preserving as well as for taste. These small cupboards which were found in the kitchen, usually near the hearth and off the ground to keep the contents dry and protect them from vermin. Many were fixed directly to the wall, built into it, or some may have sat on a shelf.
The sides, back and cornice of this cupboard are made from ash, the floor and top are fruitwood and the front frame and door are made from well figured solid yew.
It is quite heavy for a small cupboard and there is no sign of any fixing to suggest that it was hung from a hook or nail. Also it lacks cornice returns (there is no evidence to show that it might have had returns), this suggests that the cupboard probably would have stood in a small alcove.
Spice cupboards are generally made from oak, to find an example with a yew front is very unusual and desirable as any vernacular furniture made from yew is uncommon.
In excellent condition with wonderful colour.
Welsh circa 1760
13½” wide x 9¾” deep x 14” high / 34’3cm wide x 24.7cm deep x 35.6cm high
£2950 Sold
Oak Furniture – The British Tradition, by Victor Chinnery, Antique Collectors Club Page 284 Hanging and Mural Cupboards.
“A huge variety of small mural cupboards were developed during the course of the seventeenth century, fulfilling a variety of small storage needs. Some were permanently built into the structure of the house, usually in the chimney. These were for the dry storage of salt and spices, valuable commodities which required a mild source of warmth to be kept dry and safe from mildew. Such cupboards are to be found in almost every region, but the survive in especially large numbers in Westmorland and the Lancashire Lake District. In Wales, salt was often stored in a box or a box-chair which was stood by the fire for the same reason.”
Domestic Interiors – The British Tradition 1500-1850, by James Ayers, Yale University Press.
“When built into the warm wall of the chimney, cupboards of this kind stored items like salt or herbs in suitably dry conditions. The use of such a cupboard for valuable herbs may be inferred by their small size and the presence of a lock.”