Cellaret

Date1780-1800

Attributed to Micajah Wilkes

OriginAmerica, North Carolina, Roanoke River Basin

MediumBlack walnut, yellow pine, tulip poplar, and dogwood.

DimensionsOH: 33" OW: 18 1/2" OD: 14 1/8"

Credit LineGift of Louisa F. France

Object number1994-110

DescriptionAppearance: Removable upper case with brass side handles and escutcheon and iron hasp lock; lid with large astragal molding on edges and inlaid string border on top of lid with indented corners, light cockbeading along lower edges of lid rails; case originally had twelve interior bottle dividers; cove-over-half-round waist molding on lower frame; single cockbeading drawer with brass pull and escutcheon and iron lock; plain rails and straight legs; unmolded rectilinear stretchers.

Construction: A molding is cut directly into the front and side edges of the top board on the lid, which is nailed to the dovetailed lid frame. Cock beading is nailed to the underside of the lid frame. The back of the case is half-blind dovetailed to the sides, which are miter half-lapped and blind dovetailed to the front. The bottom board is flush-nailed to the underside of the case. The waist molding is nailed to the top edges of the lower frame. The rails and drawer blades on the lower frame are traditionally tenoned into the legs and secured with wooden pins. The side stretchers are tenoned into the legs, while the medial stretcher is open dovetailed to the side stretchers. Traditional dovetail joinery is used on the drawer. The drawer bottom is chamfered and set into grooves on the front and sides. It is additionally secured by a single nail on either side and is flush-nailed at the rear. As on the lid, the cock beading around the perimeter of the drawer front is nailed in place. Thin strips of wood nailed to the inside surfaces of the side rails serve as drawer guides; thin strips nailed onto the lower portions of the drawer guides serve as runners. The runners are also nailed to the front and rear legs. Thin drawer stops are nailed to the inside of the rear rail.

Materials: Black walnut lid, case front, case sides, case back, moldings, rails, blades, drawer front, legs, stretchers, and pins; dogwood cock beading and inlays; yellow pine drawer sides, drawer back, drawer bottom, drawer runners, and drawer guides; tulip poplar drawer stops.
Label TextBottle cases, or "spirit cases," from eastern North Carolina survive in relatively large numbers. This highly refined, classically inspired example is from the Roanoke River basin in the northeastern section the state. While exposed dovetails and relatively simple construction mark many bottle cases from that area, this one displays sophisticated cabinetmaking techniques more often associated with urban traditions. The four faces of the upper case are dovetailed together, but the carefully executed joinery is fully concealed on the exposed front and side panels. Although produced in the British-inspired, neat-and-plain style expected in the coastal South, a modest amount of ornamentation appears in the deftly rendered moldings and the cream-colored dogwood cock beading and stringing, which contrast well with the black walnut case.

Several bottle cases by the same artisan are known. Two virtually identical examples differ mainly in the substitution of elm and holly, respectively, for the dogwood beading and inlay on the case shown here. A fourth case features additional inlays in the form of the letters "J S" on the lid, apparently a reference to Perquimans County planter John Satterfield, in whose family the piece descended. Structural details are repeated on all four bottle cases. Each originally featured a wooden twist latch mounted on the back of the rear rail to keep the box from sliding off the stand. Another shared characteristic is the lid moldings, which are cut directly onto the top boards rather than being run on applied strips.

The "J S" bottle case also bears the inlaid letters "M W" on the front panel. The same initials are scratched into the top edge of the rear rail on the CWF case and may represent the mark of the maker. Although rarely encountered elsewhere, the prominent placement of inlaid maker's marks occurs on other eastern North Carolina furniture such as a desk from the "W H" shop (CWF accession 1992-92).

InscribedNone
Markings"MW" is scratched into the top edge of the rear rail.
ProvenanceDr. and Mrs. Richard L. France purchased the bottle case in 1940. According to their records, it was acquired at "Beard's Auction," probably a reference to the 1940 estate auction of J. K. Beard, the noted Richmond, Va., dealer in southern furniture.