High chest of drawers

BFA Number

DAPC_1964-1682

Date

1700-1725

Current Owner

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
More details

Details

Description

Flat-top, straight-front, veneered high chest of drawers on turned legs and ball feet made in two sections. The upper case has a flat, overhanging top with projecting molding along the case front and sides. The upper case has two short, side-by-side drawers over three graduated, full-width drawers. Wide bead molding outlines the drawer openings. The upper case is set into the lower case and held in place with a projecting molded lip.

The lower case has a single short, full-width drawer. Wide bead molding outlines the sides and bottom of the drawer opening. Three rounded arches are cut into the front skirt; double arches are cut into the side skirts. Six trumpet-and-cup-turned legs support the case; there are four legs at the front and two at the back. Each leg terminates in a ball foot with a thick pad. Flat box stretchers are set between the legs and the feet. The front stretcher is cut in three arches. The side stretchers are cut in double arches. The rear stretcher is straight.

The front and side surfaces of the case are entirely veneered. The drawer fronts are veneered with bookmatched, burl-maple panels framed with herringbone bands. The sides of the upper case are veneered with two large, vertical, rectangular burled-wood panels framed by wide, crossbanded mitered veneer. The sides and skirt of the lower case are veneered in burled wood. The legs are painted to resemble burled wood. Each drawer has two teardrop-shaped pulls on circular, engraved back plates and a single pierced escutcheon. The upper case drawers are fitted with locks.

The case originally had four legs. The rear legs and stretchers have been replaced. The skirt may have been modified.

Object use

Case furniture

Object type

Chest of drawers

Place of origin

Boston, Massachusetts

Basis of origin

Probably Boston according to Brock Jobe, 2015.

Date

1700-1725

Basis of date

Dated by Winterthur.

Style

William and Mary

Materials

Maple; White pine; Birch; Brass

Basis of materials

Woods identified by microanalysis. Primary: hard maple burl veneer; white pine veneer (top border); soft maple (top panel inlay, left front leg, left center leg, rear stretcher); birch (rear legs). Secondary: white pine (large upper case drawer front, back, and bottom, dustboard).

Attributes & techniques

Straight-front; Veneer; Moldings; Baluster legs; Ball feet; Pulls; Drop pulls; Escutcheons; Locks

Dimensions

Height 58 in. (147.3 cm), Width 40.25 in. (102.2 cm), Depth 23.125 in. (58.7 cm)

Subject

Chests

Current owner

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library

Credit

Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont

Owner's accession number

1958.0579

Rights

Object owned by the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, https://www.winterthur.org/.

Metadata and images digitized from the Decorative Arts Photographic Collection of the Winterthur Library. For reproduction requests or more information, contact DAPC at reference@winterthur.org.

Source

Decorative Arts Photographic Collection, Winterthur Library

Date digitized

2019-01-19

Date modified

2019-01-19

All materials are copyrighted by Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library or by participating institutions.

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