There’s something undeniably commanding about a great oak curio, and our latest arrival at Pollyanna’s Antiques is a beauty. This antique tiger oak curio cabinet sweeps gracefully across the floor on carved lion paw feet, its bowed glass front catching the light and showing off a glittering interior that would make any host smile.
The cabinet’s frame is crafted from richly figured tiger oak, the kind of wood that seems to ripple under the surface as you move past it. Three solid wooden shelves rise behind a generous curve of bowed glass, the same gentle bow echoed in the side panels, giving the piece its sculptural, almost theatrical presence. Look down to the base and you’ll find each foot carved into a powerful lion’s paw, set on small original casters so the cabinet glides as elegantly as it stands.
We’ve filled it, for the moment, with a glittering collection of antique glass and crystal. Etched stemware, cut goblets, fluted champagnes, decanters, and a few quiet little brass and silver accents are arranged shelf by shelf, the kind of display you can browse from across the room and keep finding new details in.
A curio like this earns its keep in any room. Picture it in a dining room with your grandmother’s china glowing behind the glass, or in a library holding a lifetime of small treasures: pocket watches, porcelain miniatures, seashells from a long-ago summer. The piece does the storytelling for you.
Come visit us at Pollyanna’s Antiques in downtown Mt. Clemens, open Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM. Step inside and let this old oak beauty catch your eye the way it caught ours.