Hidden Cabinet Lock, Antique

martin13

All help would be appreciated.

I have a french cabinet, likely 18th century. Outside, all it has is a knob that can move up and down to secure the doors closed (no key). But inside is a very complex mechanism. The inside handle can be accessed by removing the drawer to lock the cabinet.

Any help dating/describing this locking mechanism would be a big help. Thanks a lot.

Paul Prescott

The generic term for a lock such as yours (ie one that throws bolts both up & down) is an esplanglonette (not sure of the spelling) locking system.

In the absence of a makers name or other features which may be of a patented design that could be researched then you are probably not going to be able to date the item from the hardware alone and must look to the design and manner of construction of the furniture.

martin13

Thank you, I appreciate knowing the right word for this. Pretty sure of the date of the cabinet, just was very interested in the lock itself.

martin13

I’m at a dead end for this. Searcing for espagnolettes shows me typical french-door hardware, even when antique they’re very simple and straight. Any other clues out there?

Tom Gordon

espagnolettes is the right term for this (which merely means Spanish bolts). However they are rarely Spanish. Straight ones are the norm but I imagine continental experts will have more experience of this type of product as it is rarely used in the UK