Images(2)

Chest of Drawers

Date1710-1725

Maker Unidentified

OriginAmerica, Delaware River Valley or Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

MediumBlack walnut, yellow pine, and white cedar

DimensionsOH: 39 ½”; OD: 40 7/8”; OW: 23 ¼”

Credit LineGift of Richard A. Mones M.D.

Object number2021-1

DescriptionAppearance: Chest of drawers in two parts; upper case composed of an overhanging rectangular top with molded edge over two side by side drawers over one large drawer; lower case has mid molding over two slightly graduated drawers; all over a coved base molding and front flattened ball feet and rear feet formed by extension of stiles; both cases have paneled sides with molded edge on inner corners of rails and stiles around a flat panel; coved molding on front of drawer blades, vertical drawer divider, and front edges of sides. Teardrop brasses replaced.

Construction
The sides, backs and dustboards of the upper and lower cases are of panel construction.
Upper case

The rails of the panel sides are tenoned and pegged to the stiles (upper rail with two pegs and lower rail with one peg), and the side panels are chamfered on the inside edges to rest in dados in the stiles and rails. The upper and lower rails of the back are tenoned and double pegged into the side stiles and the back panel nailed into rabbets in the back rails and nailed from the back into thin inside posts that are in turn nailed into the side stiles between the rear rails. The underside edges of the lower side rails are relieved to receive the tenons from the lower case. The front rail and drawer blade are tenoned to the side stiles. Half round molding with miter joints is pegged to the front edges of the side stiles, vertical drawer divider, side stiles and drawer blade.

The vertical drawer divider between the top small drawers is tenoned or dovetailed into the top rail and drawer blade. The central drawer guide is butt joined to the rear of the divider, nailed to the case top from the top and nailed to the dust board from the underside. The dust board is chamfered on the underside of the front and side edges to fit into a dado in the back edge of the drawer blade, and dados in the outside drawer supports which are in turn set in notches in the back stiles. (The front end of the drawer supports are kept in place by the dust boards themselves rather than a joint with the drawer blade.) The upper drawer guides for the top two small drawers (to keep the drawers from tipping) are nailed to the upper sides of central drawer guide.

The center drawer support for the top two drawers is a single board nailed between the underside of the central vertical drawer guide and the upper surface of the dust board. The dust board is relieved under each drawer with a 1.5”x2.5” rectangle to provide access to now missing spring locks on the drawer bottoms.

The butt-joined multi-board top is pegged from the top to the top front and rear rails and pegged and nailed (wrought nails) to the top rails of the sides. The top’s miter joined molding (ogee under quarter round) is pegged to the front of the top rail and the upper side rails. A small ogee molding is pegged to the upper surface of the quarter round surface and butt joins the top.

Lower case
The rails of the panel sides are tenoned and pegged to the stiles (upper rail with two pegs and lower rail with one peg), and the side panels are chamfered on the inside edges to rest in dados in the stiles and rails. The upper and lower rails of the back are tenoned and double pegged into the side stiles and the back panel nailed into rabbets in the back rails and nailed from the back into thin inside posts that are in turn nailed into the side stiles between the rear rails. The upper and lower front drawer blades are tenoned into the side stiles.

Four vertical tenons inserted in the upper edges of the side rails secure the upper case to the lower case. Two of the tenons are drilled to receive removable pegs.

The top of the lower case, which supports the lower drawer of the upper case, is nailed from above into rabbets formed by lathe ½”x3/4” nailed to the inside of the upper rails and stiles. The upper front rail is faced with a 1 ½” molding (half round flanked by cove moldings) that is miter joined to extend around the sides to the back.

The drawer blade for the upper drawer of the lower case is tenoned to the front stiles. It is dadoed in the back to receive the full depth dust board which has been chamfered on the underside of the front and sides. The dust board sides rest in drawer supports that are dadoed to receive them. The back end of the drawer supports rest in notches in the rear stiles. Drawer guides that extend to the back are glued to the side panels at the drawer supports. Added lathe is glued to the upper surface of the drawer supports.
Molding 1½” wide (half round between two cove moldings) is pegged to the upper rail of the lower case (drawer blade for the lower drawer of the upper case) and mitered to extend over the side rail to the back. A half-round, miter-joined molding is pegged to the facing edge of the stiles and lower drawer blade.

The bottom rail is tenoned to the stiles. The bottom drawer supports are pegged to the side rails. A drawer guide is nailed to the inside of the proper left (PL) rail. The PR rail functions as a drawer guide. Yellow pine front to back bottom boards are nailed from below to the underside of the front and back rails. Cove molding is pegged to the front, back and side bottom rails.

Rear legs are extensions of the rear side stiles. Front stiles terminate at the bottom. Front compressed ball feet are joined to the case frame with a round tenon that extends through the feet.

Drawers are of dovetail construction (large dovetails) with bottoms nailed into rabbets in the front and nailed to the underside edges of the sides and back.
Label TextThe transition from joined blanket chests to dovetailed chests of drawers includes the chest of drawers within a joined carcass. This example features a double chest with five drawers divided between two cases, one above the other. Scholars have suggested that these double case pieces were made in two parts for ease of movement within small dwellings. While some mid-17th-century New England examples like those by Ralph Mason and Henry Messinger are known, very few Pennsylvania examples have survived. The Massachusetts examples are typically ornamented with applied turned elements and geometric moldings, but the known Pennsylvania ones, which appear to be somewhat later, are either plain or ornamented with line-and-berry inlay (in one instance). An example with Spanish feet is in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (2002-194-1), but is otherwise quite similar to this chest.
ProvenancePook and Pook sale, April 21, 2007, lot 761. Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Donald A. Shelley; Edgar and Charlotte Sittig.