Taking a quick glance at this set, many Victorian antique collectors familiar with the turn-of-the-century gods of Renaissance carved furniture (Horner, Flint, etc.) would assume that this piece was by R.J. Horner. Fortunately this set is labeled and we can be sure that it was made by Oriel Cabinet Co. from Grand Rapids, MI. It was constructed in 1911 of Mahogany and demonstrates some of the best carving done in America at the time. In my mind, this is an important find since all furniture that resembles this style of furniture carving always gets labeled a Horner and the skill involved in these pieces rivals Horner's best work.
In addition to this dining set, there will be many other famous-maker pieces, labeled and attributed, going up for auction by Meeks, Belter, Allen and Brother, Herter Brothers, and Mitchell & Rammelsberg. You can peruse the photos at the sale page here.
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