Friday 25 March 2011

Curious Cabinet

An odd cabinet has come onto eBay and I am resisting an inexplicable desire for it. It is one of the rowing stations of an old racing shell, from the stretcher to sliding seat, made into a cabinet, boxed in with a top and a bottom, given a glass door and legs.
There must be a story behind this peculiar bit of furniture. The antique dealer selling it describes it as a drinks cabinet, but I think it is more likely to be a trophy cabinet. Did the man who occupied that seat buy the boat when it was scrapped and have it converted? Did the other members of the crew get their seats? And did the bow and stern wind up hanging on the clubhouse wall?
Beyond dating the shell to 'between 1800 and 1890' the dealer is no help at all.
But the biggest mystery is why I have to resist the temptation to buy it. It is totally useless, rather hideous and would cost me over eight hundred sovs. Somebody stop me.

6 comments:

HTBS editor Göran R Buckhorn said...

Damn it, Chris go for it!

doryman said...

I second that. And I'd keep my whiskey in it, too.

Anders Eliasson said...

Dont buy. Its extremely ugly. Use the money on beer, save the children. Whatever.

Graham Neil said...

Go on Chris, you know you want to, give it to the wife for mothers day, she'll love it!

Chris Partridge said...

Give it to my WIFE? As a MOTHER'S DAY present?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Patrick Hay said...

Buy it - remove the door, seal it with epoxy and break your own record for the biggest guy in the smallest boat.

You might have to get rid of the sliding seat, or centralise it otherwise you'll only be going round in circles.

Keep the door, of course. It's not as ugly as the rest of it, and could maybe be sold on ebay to recover some of the outlay