This page highlights a number of illustrations reproduced from Fred Roe’s A History of Oak Furniture, first printed in London in 1920 by The Connoisseur. The comments that follow are my own observations; the captions on the enlarged images remain as they appeared in the original publication.
It should be noted that Roe’s dating and stylistic identifications, while valuable for his time, are not always in line with present-day research.
The images are in the Public Domain in the United States and in countries where copyright expires 50 years after the author’s death. Their legal status elsewhere may differ.
Each picture below links to a higher-resolution version (file sizes range between 40 KB and 80 KB).
Plates and Notes
- Plate II – Early 1500s Cupboard
An English livery cupboard from the early 16th century, now part of the Victoria & Albert Museum collection. - Plate III – The “Fares” Chest
An English chest from the early 1400s, commonly known as the Fares Chest. Displayed at the V&A. - Plate IV – French Chest, 15th Century
Representative of French craftsmanship of the late Middle Ages. - Plate V – Norman Stool, 15th Century
A surviving wooden stool of Norman origin, preserved in the V&A. - Plate IX – Construction Methods
A survey of woodworking techniques typical of medieval joinery. - Plate X – Further Construction Examples
More variations of structural methods used by medieval craftsmen. - Plate XI – Two Medieval Chests
Examples of a chest from the 12th century and another from the 13th century. - Plate XIII – Group of Chests
A comparative look at several chest designs. - Plate XIV – Mixed Pieces
Includes a 14th-century coffer, a 16th-century chest, and a cradle from the same century. Despite the old caption’s claim, the cradle almost certainly never belonged to Henry V.