If you are a Herter Brothers collector, here would be a special item to add to that collection.  In 1879, Christian Herter began his “magnus opus, the William H. Vanderbilt residence on Fifth Avenue at Fifty-first Street.  It was the largest, most elaborate commission in his career.”¹

This dresser is branded “Herter Bros” and is signed in pencil, “N 411 Vanderbilt Esq.”  below the marble and “Vanderbilt” behind the mirror.  There is a reasonable chance that this was either Mr. or Mrs. Vanderbilt’s own personal dresser.  Since Christian designed each room with it’s own theme in the house and the owners’ bedroom(s) was done in the Anglo-Japanese taste, this dresser would have been an appropriate part of the decor.

To explain the “N 411″ written on the piece, on a whim, I Googled “411 Vanderbilt” and turned up another prominent New York businessman’s home in Brooklyn, Cornelius Hoagland, who became very wealthy making baking powder and his home was built in 1882.  It’s address was 409-411 Vanderbilt Ave.

He had the money and lived in the timeframe in which he could have bought a dresser like this from Herter Brothers, but it is an unnecessary diversion from reality.  “Vanderbilt Esq.” ties the dresser directly to William Vanderbilt Esq.  “N 411″ is likely a number to identify the piece: a model number or order item number.

The dresser will sell on August 26th, starting at $20,000 with expected range of $40,000 to $60,000.  More at the listing.

¹ “Herter Brothers Furniture and Interiors for a Gilded Age“, Howe/Frelinghuysen/Voorsanger

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The darkened pictures on this listing belie the quality of this very large Modern Gothic dresser. I doctored up this picture (lightened it) so as to give you a better grasp of the quality of this piece. Clicking on the image above will provide a larger image with greater detail. Clicking on the image again will allow you to zoom in and out further.

This one is a beauty and the seller states that it is so massive that it takes 4 men to carry the mirror alone. Once again, I am saddened, however to find that the massive matching bed was separated and sold previously for $8,000, so we are stuck with a one-off piece forever separated from it’s brethren. Sorry to get anthropomorphic on you, but separation of matching pieces is one of my pet peeves.

The current price of $999, I believe, is a fair price for a piece of this magnitude and quality. If can think of a spot for it, I may even throw my hat in the ring. Bidding ends tomorrow and more images and details can be found at the listing.

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A couple pieces of furniture from Herter Brothers are coming up for auction: a Maple Victorian Sideboard and the above pictured Aesthetic Dresser. Both are signed “Herter Bros.”

The dresser is from the last quarter 19th century and is made of burled elm and birds eye maple fronts. Height: 85 inches, width 44 inches 1/2 and depth 24 inches. It is located in Minneapolis, MN and bidding starts at an absurd $400 with expected range $5,250 to $6,500.

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