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Corner Cupboard 2016-110
Corner Cupboard
Corner Cupboard 2016-110

Corner Cupboard

Date1800-1816
OriginAmerica, Tennessee, Sullivan County (probably)
MediumCherry, tulip poplar, mahogany or cedrella, holly, and glass
DimensionsOH: 92”; OW: 50”; OD: 27 ¾”
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Sara and Fred Hoyt Furniture Fund, TIF Foundation in memory of Michelle A. Iverson, and The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund
Object number2016-110
DescriptionAppearance: One-piece corner cupboard; sides return at a ninety degree angle from front for about 6” before angling back towards back corner; angled sides meet with single width backboard that is parallel to cupboard front; upper section has broad molded cornice around front and sides over a frieze inlaid with geometric lightwood guioche on a mahogany or cedrella veneered ground with a bead below; two hinged glazed doors with two columns of four glass panes each divided by sharply molded muntins; round wooden knob (possibly replaced) at center of proper 0left door inner stile; inner stile of proper right door slightly narrower than proper left door ditto; interior of cupboard is painted orange (modern paint over blue and white, possibly original primer); interior comprised of four fixed shelves at level of muntins with grooves around back for plates; waist of cupboard defined by a band around the front and sides of two molded beads sandwiching a mahogany or cedrella band of veneer with a geometric lightwood guioche; lower section has two doors each with a recessed flat panel; the panels have mahogany or cedrella crossbanding with a lightwood string edge around perimeter and a lightwood string rectangle with inset corners outlining the panel; proper left door has a wooden knob (probably replaced) and both doors have inlaid lightwood shield shaped keyhole escutcheons, the proper right escutcheon is false, the proper left accesses a lock on the rear of the door; front French feet originally curved towards front but not sides (missing height); serpentine skirt inlaid with a central pendant sand-shaded lightwood fan with darkwood end lunettes and a diamond light and dark wood banding around front and sides; front stiles inlaid with a lightwood urn scribed with details and a leafy vine terminating at top with a crescent moon shaped element; originally no rear foot (now a modern block under back corner of cupboard)

Construction: Each of the two angled backboards are comprised of two lap joined boards mitered to butt join to a mitered center board all of which are nailed from the back to the edges of the top, bottom and shelves. The outer edges of the angled backs are mitered to butt join rabbets in the 6” wide cherry sides that return 90 degrees from the front. The top, bottom and shelves are nailed from the exterior into dados in the sides. The stiles are nailed to the leading edge of the sides and the upper, medial and lower front rails are tenoned to the stiles.

A large coved single piece mitered cornice molding is nailed to the sides, stiles and top rail and backed by mitered glue blocks that only adhere to the molding. A 3 ¾” band of cross banded veneer is immediately below the molding, and a small mitered molding that butt joins the bottom edge of the cornice molding is nailed on top of the veneer. An additional small mitered molding is butt joined to the bottom edge of the veneer band and nailed to the sides, stiles and top rail. The center section of that molding is the edge of a 1” strip that is nailed to the underside of the front rail above the door opening.

A second band of cross banded veneer rests immediately under a small mitered molding that is nailed to the front edge of the bottom shelf of the upper cupboard with returns nailed to the cupboard sides. It too has a small molding butt joined to the underside of the cross banding and nailed to the sides, stiles and medial rail with a center section molding on the edge of a strip that is nailed to the underside of the medial rail over the lower door opening. A series of intersecting string inlaid half circles decorates the cross banding. The lower stiles are decorated with vase and vine inlay.

The sides are shaped at the bottom, with the front 1½” of each side, together with the stile, forming weight bearing front feet. The lower front rail is nailed from the top to a serpentine shaped skirt with a central inlaid fan and a band of diamond shaped inlay extended into the stiles and the sides. A large, modern block now provides support under the center-back of the bottom. Many corner cupboards from this region originally lacked any support at their rear corners. That probably was the case for this cupboard as well.

The rails of the glazed upper doors are through-tenoned to the stiles with double pegs in the lower tenons and single pegs in the upper. The muntins are tenoned to the stiles, rails and each other with those at the center of the stiles pegged. The rails of the lower panel doors are tenoned and double pegged to the stiles. The backs of the panels are chamfered to fit into dados in the stiles and rails. The flat front panels have 1” cross banding on the edges and interior string inlay rectangle with inset corners.

Woods: Sides, moldings, door stiles, rails and muntins are cherry, door panels and backboards are tulip poplar, inlays are holly and cross banding is mahogany.
Label TextFamily tradition states that this cupboard was used at "Smith Haven," the Blountville, Sullivan County, Tennessee home of Maj. William Smith and his wife Elizabeth Boy Smith. William and Elizabeth married in Sullivan County in 1816 and may have been the original owners of this cupboard. Or they may have inherited it from their parents, Jacob and Mary Drummond Boy (m. 1796 in Sullivan Co.) or Captain John Smith.

The form of the cupboard conforms to Eastern Tennessee traditions with the sides angling back from the front at a 90-degree angle and lacking a rear foot. Cherry and tulip poplar were popular woods used in local furniture as were the use of the lightwood inlaid element with scribed detail as seen in the urns on the lower stiles. The feet kick out towards the front only, an unusual design for a "French" foot, which is also seen on other East Tennessee pieces.
ProvenanceLine of descent according to family tradition: Maj. William Smith (1789-1858) and Elizabeth Boy Smith (1798-1876) of “Smith Haven”, Blountville, Sullivan County, TN; son Robert M. Smith (1835-1899) and wife Nancy Lavinia Akard Smith (1855-1928) of Blountville, TN; son David Thurman Smith (1879/80-1955) and wife Rowena H. of Bristol, TN; to daughter; to daughter Janet Riley.