Images(4)

Spice Box

Date1770-1789

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Williamsburg or Yorktown

MediumCherry, yellow pine, tulip poplar, mahogany, and brass

DimensionsOH: 17 ½”; OW: 13”; OD: 8 ½”

Credit LineGift of Dr. Gordon Morris

Object number2018-115

DescriptionAppearance:
Rectangular box cabinet with single recessed, flat paneled door hinged on the proper left side; interior edges of door stiles and rails ogee molded; front edges of sides have scratch bead along inside edge; rectangular top board with fully rounded edges over an ogee molding attached to the front and sides; integral ogee base molding and straight bracket feet with integral C shaped arced knee returns; interior comprised of small drawers, with two rows of two drawers each over three larger drawers each with a centered brass knob.

Construction:
The single board sides are probably joined to the top with a sliding dovetail and dovetailed to the bottom. The single board top is rabbeted around the front and sides to create a thin rounded edge that overhangs the sides. A mitered cove molding is glued and nailed inside the rabbet on the sides (probably hiding dovetails) and glued to the front edge top. The base molding with integral bracket feet is nailed to the front and side edges of the bottom, hiding dovetails on the sides. The back is nailed with cut nails into rabbets in the sides and top and to the edge of the bottom.

The leading edge of the sides have scratch beads on the interior edge. The interior mahogany drawer supports and dividers rest in dados in the sides and each other. At the front the drawer support dados are supplemented with 1/8” x 1 ¼” top to bottom mahogany lath strips, with dados, nailed to each side. These also function as door stops.

The bracket feet are integral with the base molding which is miter joined at the front corners and nailed to the edge of the bottom. A single board containing the rear facing brackets is butt joined to the sides and nailed from the underside to the bottom. The front proper left bracket feet are intact as are the rear facing bracket feet., The lower ½” of the proper right front foot is missing as it is with the side facing rear feet (missing elements replaced in 2018). There is evidence of now missing glue blocks on the interior of all of the bracket feet, the front proper right foot has a cypress replacement block.

The door rails are through-tenoned into the stiles forming a frame. The panel rests in dados in the rails and stiles, with the front facing edge of the dado mitered and shaped as integral molding. Brass clock hinges are inset in the door and stile with strap on the door interior. Door lock and escutcheon are missing (replaced with reproduction ditto in 2018).
The drawers are of dovetail construction with bottoms nailed from below into rabbets in the front and to the underside of the back and sides.

The case and drawer fronts are cherry, the back is yellow pine, drawer supports, dividers and lath are mahogany. Drawer bottoms, backs and sides are a mix of tulip poplar and yellow pine. The replaced glue block behind the foot it cypress.

The drawer sides, fronts and backs are marked in each corner with 1 to 4 either dots or lines matching marks on the two boards forming the corner. With the 4 small drawers it appears that dots were used on the proper right drawers, lines on the proper left. With the three larger drawers, lines were used for the middle drawer, dots for the upper and lower drawers.
Label TextSmall cabinets containing small interior drawers were often used for the storage of spices or valuables. Termed spice box, spice press, or spice cabinet on 18th-century Tidewater, Virginia inventories, the form was only rarely found in Virginia homes. Derived from English examples, the form was quite popular in Pennsylvania where numerous examples survive. This spice box descended in the family of Governor Thomas Nelson of Yorktown, Virginia and is believed to have been originally owned by him. Listed on his 1789 probate inventory as a "spice press" valued at 30 shillings, the inventory takers suggested that it was a mahogany piece rather than cherry. Either this is a different example or the inventory takers may have mistaken the cherry wood, which when new was often stained to replicate mahogany.
ProvenanceBelieved to have been owned by Governor Thomas Nelson of Yorktown, Virginia. The donor received the spice box as a gift with a handwritten note reading, “APOTHECARY CHEST Belonging to: Dr. Hugh Thomas Nelson, Jr., Practicing physician at Martha Jefferson Hospital. His father – Dr. Hugh Thomas Nelson, Sr. was a co-founder of MJH. Lived at 205 High Street, Charlottesville, VA. Presented to Dr. Gordon Morris from Mrs. Thomas P. Nelson and sons- Hugh & Thomas.”

Based on family history the probable line of descent of the spice box is: Gov. Thomas Nelson (1738-1789) of Yorktown to son Hugh Nelson (1768-1836) of Cismont, Albemarle County; to son Dr. Robert William Nelson Sr. (1822-1908) of Cismont and Charlottesville; to son Dr. Hugh Thomas Nelson Sr. (1845-1906) of Cismont and Charlottesville, to son Dr. Hugh Thomas Nelson Jr. (1876-1931) of Powhattan County and Charlottesville; to donor.

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