High Chest
Furniture MakerMade by
Unknown
Date1770-1790
MediumCherry primary wood, eastern white pine secondary wood, brass hardware
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (overall height x width x depth): 74 1/2 x 40 x 21in. (189.2 x 101.6 x 53.3cm)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineGift of Timothy Chapin Reeves
Object number2004.76.1
DescriptionCherry high chest with a flat top in the Queen Anne, or rococo style. The high chest has local characteristics associated with Glastonbury style production. Restrained cornice molding is located just below the top. The drawer arrangement of the upper case consists of two equal-height drawers in a line over four full-width, graduated drawers. The top case fits inside the shallow mid-molding of the lower case. The lower case drawer arrangement consists of one full-width drawer over three drawers in a line. The bottom center drawer has a recessed, carved shell. The front skirt has a shaped bottom edge consisting of a small cyma curve, or S-curve, and a small reverse cyma curve; this pair is flanked by a small horizontal and a large cyma curve. Each side skirt has a flat arch flanked by a diagonal cyma curve. Each cabriole leg terminates in a pad foot; each knee return has a small curl. Hardware on each full-width drawer consists of a brass blind lock escutcheon in the center, flanked by a brass escutcheon with a bail pull. The two top drawers and the lower side drawers each have a brass escutcheon with a bail pull in the center. The shell-carved drawer has a small brass pull (now missing) in the lower center of the shell.
Condition: All of the drawer runners are worn, especially the bottom drawer runners in the upper case. The top two side drawer runners have detached from the sides of the case in the back; the top center drawer runner is missing. The dovetails in the front left corner of the top drawer of the lower case have come unglued. The small brass pull on the shell-carved drawer is missing. The hardware appears to be original.
Design and Construction Details: Carving and Design. The carved, recessed, shell has twenty-four projecting rays and a round edge; the compass lines are still visible. The compound cornice molding consists of ovolo, or thumbnail, molding over a cove, a bead, a small fillet, and another cove.
Case Construction. The top is dovetailed to the sides of the upper case. The cornice molding projects slightly above the top and is nailed to the case. The backboards of the upper case are horizontally oriented and are nailed into rabbets in the sides of the case. The lower case is formed with mortise-and-tenon construction, which is secured with wooden pins. The knee returns are nailed to the front of the skirt.
Drawer Construction. The top rail and the drawer dividers in the upper case are visibly dovetailed into the sides of the case. The vertical partition is visibly dovetailed to the rail above and the drawer divider below. The drawer runners are nailed to the sides of the case. The top center drawer runner is now missing; it used to rest on a strip of wood nailed to the back of the case. The lower case rail and drawer divider are tenoned into the sides of the case. The vertical partitions are tenoned into the drawer divider above and into the skirt below. The side drawer runners and guides are nailed into the front and back leg posts. The center drawer runners and guides are tenoned into a strip of wood nailed to the back of the case. The drawers are lip-molded on all four sides with ovolo, or thumbnail, molding. The drawer sides are rounded on top. The drawer bottoms are chamfered at the sides to fit into grooves in the front and sides of each drawer, and are nailed at the back. Each drawer has a "Suffield notch", where the bottom rear of the drawer side dovetail is omitted, leaving a gap where the edge of the drawer bottom is visible below the lowest pin. The back of each drawer is thick and has a chamfered top edge, conforming to the shape of the top dovetail pin. Some of the rear dovetails extend past the back of the drawer to form stops.
Condition: All of the drawer runners are worn, especially the bottom drawer runners in the upper case. The top two side drawer runners have detached from the sides of the case in the back; the top center drawer runner is missing. The dovetails in the front left corner of the top drawer of the lower case have come unglued. The small brass pull on the shell-carved drawer is missing. The hardware appears to be original.
Design and Construction Details: Carving and Design. The carved, recessed, shell has twenty-four projecting rays and a round edge; the compass lines are still visible. The compound cornice molding consists of ovolo, or thumbnail, molding over a cove, a bead, a small fillet, and another cove.
Case Construction. The top is dovetailed to the sides of the upper case. The cornice molding projects slightly above the top and is nailed to the case. The backboards of the upper case are horizontally oriented and are nailed into rabbets in the sides of the case. The lower case is formed with mortise-and-tenon construction, which is secured with wooden pins. The knee returns are nailed to the front of the skirt.
Drawer Construction. The top rail and the drawer dividers in the upper case are visibly dovetailed into the sides of the case. The vertical partition is visibly dovetailed to the rail above and the drawer divider below. The drawer runners are nailed to the sides of the case. The top center drawer runner is now missing; it used to rest on a strip of wood nailed to the back of the case. The lower case rail and drawer divider are tenoned into the sides of the case. The vertical partitions are tenoned into the drawer divider above and into the skirt below. The side drawer runners and guides are nailed into the front and back leg posts. The center drawer runners and guides are tenoned into a strip of wood nailed to the back of the case. The drawers are lip-molded on all four sides with ovolo, or thumbnail, molding. The drawer sides are rounded on top. The drawer bottoms are chamfered at the sides to fit into grooves in the front and sides of each drawer, and are nailed at the back. Each drawer has a "Suffield notch", where the bottom rear of the drawer side dovetail is omitted, leaving a gap where the edge of the drawer bottom is visible below the lowest pin. The back of each drawer is thick and has a chamfered top edge, conforming to the shape of the top dovetail pin. Some of the rear dovetails extend past the back of the drawer to form stops.
Status
Not on view
