There exists far less documentation on roses from the 1700's when Marie Antoinette lived. Because she held what appears to be a Centifolia, perhaps the Cabbage Rose in her hands in a famous painting, she probably really did hold that rose in her hands and hence was familiar with it. Centifolia is believed to be the earliest garden class developed in Europe, and a small plant called ' de Meaux' a white Centifolia could date from the late 1700's. Other roses that are documented, or believed to have been grown in Europe, before 1800 include 1200 a.d. The Apothecary Rose' was brought to France from the middle East, probably. This rose is the primogeniture rose of the Gallica family. The earliest other Gallica rose mentioned is 'Tuscany' or the Velvet Rose which might have been grown during her lifetime. 'La Belle Sultane' may have been grown since 1795 the white Rose of York' was grown in England since the 1400's and since D.N.A. shows Alba roses descend from R. fed. a wild rose that comes from further east, perhaps Alba roses were first in France, or the Netherlands before they arrived in England. One source told me that he believes a rose that was described as being grown in Europe in the 1500's fits 'Maidens Blush'. Of colors of roses, in Europe there are no wild native red or yellow roses, and all the pre-1800 red roses descend from R. gallica. She might have seen the 'Austrian Briar' a yellow wild rose that, despite its name, is not native to Austria. It too was probably brought from Turkey or further east. The 'Yellow Rose' a double rose that appears like a bowl filled with petals, was so rare that even a Dutch Master painter might have had trouble finding even one to paint, which is why most of the Dutch masters painted pink or white Centifolia type roses. However if anyone wanted a R. hemispherica, I think perhaps someone of her social status might have acquired it. Graham Stuart Thomas wrote that he believed that R. moschata was brought to England in the Elizabethan era, (mid 1500's to 1603). Marie Antoinette might have seen this rose. There are no native plants extant of this rose and no one knows where it originated from, one source believes that perhaps the Moors brought it from Northern Africa to Spain and the Iberian peninsula. There wern't many types of garden roses in the 1700's and so Marie Antoinette could have also loved wild roses. The wild roses of France are several, all are pink and/or white and like all European roses bloom only once a year, each bush for about a month long. Hope this is of some help. Lux.

I would suspect it is a tourist piece--there is a huge tourist craft industry there--and that's why the "HAND MADE IN GREECE" is written in English. Maybe from the immediate postwar (WWII) period, when the US was mad for European high culture?

I suspect the top of the dresser was not original to the piece. If you paid $80 for it you did just fine....but you messed up after you bought it. As for the table....do you really want to know my opinion? What I think about it? LOL! Stop reading now if you don't! I think that table is many things put together. Sure....perhaps the boards are 100 years old ( which in the terms of antiques is not very old!) but I sure think that table was put together by someone who saw you coming! Suggestion? Do some home work on what old furniture looks like and what it should cost... Find someone to take you under their wing and show you what to look for! You are in the Mecca for antique buying!! There should be all sorts of wonderful stuff around....if you avoid the shops in Chadds Ford and hit the farm auctions and flea markets! As to the chest? get some stripper and remove the finish.... Rub it with steel wool after it dries.....and maybe a gentle rub with a garnet sand paper... It likely will be a warm brown....stain or not and put some poly urethane on it. Back to that table....When did she say an Amish farmer made it?? Yesterday? LOL! It appears that someone took the floor boards out of the attic of an old building, or out of a barn and made some legs and painted them white...a la Ikea! But how about those chairs?? The one on the near side of the table on the right?.....and the one on the far side...in the middle? Let's see more of them!! Linda C

It is so strange that whenever I think about something for my new build, a post about the same subject pops up on HOUZZ. melle_sacto is hot and dry in CA Zone 9/ - Yesterday, I was asking my contractor about having a door like this built. It would go to underneath our stairs and serve as a safe, a safe room, and a place to hide during a bad storm. The stairs are wrapped by two bathrooms, and a large linen closet on 3 sides. The 4th side is the foyer. My contractor says that they can be made with a piano hinge. I was not aware that these could be purchased pre-made. So cool! Here are my inspirational photos.