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1950-931, High Chest of Drawers
High Chest of Drawers
1950-931, High Chest of Drawers

High Chest of Drawers

Date1739-1760
OriginAmerica, Massachusetts, Franklin County or Hampshire County
MediumMaple, white pine, and yellow pine.
DimensionsOH: 59"; OW: 39"; OD: 20 1/2".
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1950-931
DescriptionAppearance: High chest on frame. Upper case has flat top with molded cornice, rectangular case with two small drawers above four large graduated drawers each with moulded lip edge, plain drawer blades dovetailed to frame. Each large drawer has brass escutcheons with bail handles and one brass key plate (brasses replaced). Small drawers have one brass backplate and bail handle each. The drawers have no key holes or locks, drawers are pine dovetailed to maple fronts, drawer supports are pine. Sides of case are dovetailed into a pine top. Lower frame is a rectangular form with molded top edge; skirt and front and side cut in a cupid bow and s scroll design with a small center arch, supported on four cabriole legs ending in cushioned pad feet.

Construction: Chest: The single board top is dovetailed to the sides and the upper rail is joined to the sides with sliding dovetails 1” below the top. The bottom rail is joined to the sides with a sliding dovetail ½” from the bottom of the sides.

The drawer blades are joined to the sides with exposed sliding dovetails. Drawer supports are joined to the blades with beveled lap joints, some of which were later nailed, and chamfered to rest in notches in the back boards, with a bevel on the interior rear corner of the supports. The single board central support for the two smaller drawers is notched on each side at the front and joined to the rail with a beveled lap joint that is (probably later) nailed, and fits into a notch in the back with a chamfer. The drawer divider is dovetailed to the upper rail and top drawer blade. The drawer guide is nailed from above to the drawer support with wrought nails.

The single piece mitered cove top molding is surface nailed to the top, sides and top rail.

The horizontal five board lap joined back is nailed (some wrought) into rabbets in the sides and butt joined to the underside of the top with one central nail (wrought) from the upper surface of the top.

The drawers are of dovetail construction with five (one with six) dovetails at the front and two large dovetails at the back. Modern nails have been added to reinforce the rear dovetails. Bottoms (side-to-side grain) have been rabbeted to fit into dados in the front and sides and are nailed (wrought) to the underside of the back from below. One small drawer bottom is chamfered rather than rabbeted along the front. The two bottom (largest) drawers have an additional wrought nail from the bottom board into the back of the drawer front. The top edges of the sides are molded with a cove shape, the high side on the outer edge of the drawer side. An integral thumbnail molding on the edge of the drawer fronts overlaps the edges on the top and sides.

Stand: The shaped front and side skirts as well as the back rail are tenoned and double pegged to the upper (square) section of the pad footed cabriole legs. Front to back battens that abut the upper ends of the legs are set without glue or nails into notches in the front and nailed into notches in the back. The mitered ogee waist molding is nailed to the top of the legs, sides and front. The knee blocks are glued to the front of the front and side skirts and to the legs.

Woods: Primary wood: maple. Secondary wood: Side of 2nd drawer-yellow pine group (Pinus sp.); U.S. Bottom of 2nd drawer-eastern white pine (Pinus strobus); U.S.
MarkingsNone.