Goyard Antique Closet Trunk Pair Nos. 16 & 17, Patterned Canvas with Fitted Drawers, France, Early 1900s

Goyard built its name on the trunk long before the tote, and this matched pair shows why. Numbered 16 and 17 and dating to the early 1900s, each hides a miniature chest of drawers behind a sober patterned shell; kept together, they preserve a larger fragment of a vanished travel system.

The Piece

Offered together as a two-trunk set, these antique Goyard wardrobe, or closet, trunks were made in France in approximately the early 1900s and are numbered No. 16 and No. 17. Each combines a rigid travel body with fitted cabinetry. Closed, the trunk reads as a disciplined rectangular case with reinforced leather borders, metal hardware and a compact horizontal profile; open, it becomes a compact cabinet engineered to organize garments and personal belongings through rail, steamship and hotel travel.

The photographed trunk, No. 16, opens through a full-height side door. Inside, a removable upper tray sits above four graduated fitted drawers finished with leather pull tabs, with lined interior surfaces and a deep lowest drawer: small accessories travel above, larger textiles and garments below. The tray and drawers rise 9, 11, 11, 11 and 23 cm high, a carefully graduated sequence rather than a simple division of an empty box.

The exterior pairs a dark historic patterned covering with warm brown leather reinforcement, rigid timber construction, metal corner protection, side hinges, multiple clasps, central closure hardware, riveted construction and a leather carrying handle. A century of handling has softened the materials, darkened the leather and muted the hardware, building the tonal variation, abrasions and patina that reproduction furniture cannot imitate. As individually produced and individually aged objects, the two trunks may differ slightly from one another, in dimensions as in surface.

Goyard belongs to the Parisian tradition of specialist trunk makers whose reputations were established long before the modern handbag market, creating travel goods for a highly international clientele with discretion rather than overt branding. Large antique trunks are frequently separated across generations, dealers and countries, so a surviving related pair carries an added layer of rarity. Placed side by side, with one closed and the other open to its drawers, the set explains itself in a dressing room, private library, boutique, hotel suite, design studio or fashion archive.

Details

• Maker: Goyard
• Model: Antique closet / wardrobe trunk pair
• Set numbers: No. 16 and No. 17
• Era: Early 1900s (approx.)
• Origin: France
• Material: Historic patterned trunk covering; brown leather reinforcement; timber construction; metal corners, hinges, clasps and rivets; lined interior with leather drawer pulls
• Measurements (No. 16): Height approx. 49 cm (19.3 in) · Width approx. 83 cm (32.7 in) · Depth approx. 29 cm (11.4 in)
• Interior fittings (No. 16): Removable upper tray H9 × W43 × D23 cm · Second drawer H11 × W41 × D22 cm · Third drawer H11 × W41 × D22 cm · Fourth drawer H11 × W41 × D22 cm · Fifth (deepest) drawer H23 × W41 × D22 cm (all approx.)
• Quantity: Two trunks

Condition

• Antique condition consistent with more than a century of existence: surface wear, dirt, scratches, scuffs, abrasion, age-related staining, leather wear, peeling or material deterioration, aging to the hardware and general patina.
• Both trunks keep a strong structural and architectural presence, and the interior of No. 16 remains unusually evocative.
• Measurements are for No. 16; slight dimensional variation between the two trunks should be expected.
• Any conservation should favor structural stabilization, minimal and reversible intervention and retention of original material.

Authenticity & Care

The pair is assessed as complete constructed objects rather than through any single logo or marking: covering, timber carcass, leather reinforcement, clasp and hinge typology, rivets, interior cabinetry, drawer joinery, labels or inventory markings and consistency of aging, with any repair or replaced fitting disclosed. Every piece is examined and documented in Japan before dispatch and is offered with the Japonista authenticity guarantee.

Delivery from Japan

Crated in Japan and shipped insured by air or sea freight. A freight quote is confirmed with you before dispatch through our Museum-Grade Logistics Suite™. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Returns follow our published policy.

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