GERMAN BAROQUE ANTIQUE ARMOIRE MARQUETRY VENEER 1740 WITH FOUR ORIGINAL PAINTINGS OF THE APOSTLES CIRCA 1675 Start Price USD 9,900.00 Current Price USD 9,900.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, July 19, 2008 End Time Tuesday, July 22, 2008 Location Whitby, ON See more about 'GERMAN BAROQUE ANTIQUE ARMOIRE MARQUETRY VENEER 1740' Description You are bidding on an absolutely stunning, massive and extremely rare baroque German armoire made with exotic woods, dated from around 1740. Four original paintings, each representing one of the Apostles dated from around 1675 are included. Two of the paintings are in original condition and are located on the inside of the doors of the armoire. The other two paintings were removed, expertly restored and re-framed using the original frames. These paintings can easily be re-applied to the inside doors of the armoire. All four paintings are included in the sale. My parents purchased this beautiful German armoire from a friend  in the early 1970’s. My mother's friend’s parents were Germans of Jewish descent who fled the Nazi's in the mid to late 1930’s. The David’s were a wealthy family from Dresden, Germany and they were allowed to leave Germany with their possessions but not with their money. The David family fled Germany through Italy where this armoire travelled by ship to safety in North America. This gorgeous armoire originates from around 1740. This is a solid wood armoire but what makes this piece so special is that it was handcrafted on the exterior with the marquetry veneer process using walnut as well as various exotic woods  in the design, creating a very elaborate piece . The craftsmanship and the intricate designs in the wood and finish are simply stunning. The armoire was designed to be assembled in pieces and is held together by the large bonnet at the top. The sides, the back and the doors of the armoire fit into the base at the bottom and the pieces are held together with original wooden pegs. In 1978 the curator of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, examined the armoire and was so impressed, he made an offer to buy it for display in the museum. My family declined and it has been in our home for 35 years. The antique columnist John Sewell of The Toronto Star, the largest daily newspaper in Canada recently published an article on this piece with a full color photo in his weekly column. This stunning and rare antique is in excellent condition certainly considering it is almost 300 years old! You will notice the original hardware in the pictures. The dimensions of this gorgeous armoire are:   Width: 81"(6' 9”) 206 cm. Height: 83" (6'11") 211 cm. Depth: 27"(2' 4”) 69 cm.   The shipping prices are just approximate prices and the shipping is to be arranged by the buyer and the piece picked up by a shipper of their choosing or alternatively, if you are a serious buyer, contact us and we can obtain a shipping quote utilizing freight forwarders who specialize in transporting delicate and expensive furniture. We will ship worldwide! We welcome and encourage interested parties to drop by and view this armoire in person by appointment. We are located 30 minutes east of Toronto, Canada in the town of Whitby. Please email me if you have any questions. Good luck and happy bidding!     Place a Bid!