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High chest of drawers

Date1710-1740

OriginBermuda

MediumCedar, yellow pine, white pine (replaced) and tulip poplar (replaced).

DimensionsOH: 64" OW: 41 1/8" OD: 22 1/2"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1951-436

DescriptionAppearance: High chest. Made in two sections. Upper section: Flat top with bold, molded cornice, front has two small drawers above three, full-length drawers, each with two brasses with bail handles and a matching keyhole escutcheon in center; double arched moulding applied on edge of case and between each drawer; sides of case composed of flat, recessed panel with molded edge; back of case panelled with plain rails and stiles and raised, rough hewn fields.

Lower section: Flat top witlh raised molded edge at front and sides; front fitted with three small drawers, the center drawer being only half the depth of the two side drawers; skirt composed of a raised arch center section with a double, cyma curve arch on either side and at either end of of case; six trumpet turned legs terminating in large bun feet on pads; front legs connected by a flat stretcher, cut in simple concave arches, flat stretcher on either side cut in ogee form; plain flat straight rear stretcher.

Construction
Upper section: The upper and lower rails of the three raised panel back are tenoned and pegged to the proper left (PL) rear stile and tenoned to the PR stile which has replaced material in the areas which previously would have been pegged. The interior stiles are tenoned and pegged to the upper and lower rails and the raised panels are chamfered on the back to fit into dados in the sides, stiles and rails. The rails of the single panel sides are tenoned and pegged to the stiles. The two boards of each flat side panel are butt joined and set in dados in the rails and stiles, the exterior portion of the dado is formed by a mitered quarter round molding nailed into the inside exterior edge of the rails and stiles. The upper and lower front rails are tenoned into the sides.

Two evenly spaced medial battens are notched at each end to fit into corresponding notches in the front and back upper rails. The top is comprised of five butt-joined boards that are pegged and nailed to the medial battens and the upper front, back and side rails. The five boards were at some time removed and repositioned and are now nailed with most if not all modern nails. The front and side edges are finished with an integral quarter-round.

The drawer blades are tenoned to the side stiles and behind them the drawer supports are nailed to the side stiles. The uppermost L shaped drawer supports are original and have integral drawer guides and wrought nails. Drawer supports and guides for the other drawers are later replacements and the guides are glued or possibly nailed between the drawer supports and the side panels extending 5/8” above the drawer supports. Guides for the bottom drawer rest on the bottom and are nailed with modern nails to the side lower rail and stiles. Modern rectangular blocks are glued in the upper and lower back corners between the side and back rails. They have been modified to function as drawer stops for the upper and lower drawers. Drawer stops for the two middle drawers are glued to the back and rest on the drawer supports.

The vertical divider between the top two drawers is tenoned into the upper rail and through tenoned into the drawer blade. The single piece drawer support and guide for those drawers is tenoned into the center panel of the back and nailed from the top of the central drawer guide with wrought nails to the drawer blade and to the back from the back. The upper section bottom is comprised of two butt joined boards nailed with wrought nails from the underside to the bottom edges of the front rail, back and sides

The mitered molded cornice formed by an angled molded board is pegged and face nailed to the upper front and side rails and the segments are pegged to each other at the corners. It is also nailed to the top from the top. Double bead molding is nailed to the front edges of the sides, drawer blades and vertical drawer divider.

Drawers are of dovetail construction with the small upper drawers and the smallest of the three lower drawers having two dovetails at each corner and the two largest drawers having three dovetails. Side-to-side grained bottoms are nailed into a rabbet in the front and to the edges of the back and sides, all from below.

Lower section: The back and cyma curved arched sides are tenoned with four pegs to the stiles. The three arched front skirts, which also serve as drawer blades, are tenoned with pegs to the corner and medial stiles. The top is comprised of three boards plus fill pieces on each side replacing one missing board. The boards are edged with an integral quarter round that overlaps the front and sides. The boards are nailed to the stiles and probably sides from above. The mitered belt cove molding is pegged and nailed to the top boards immediately behind the quarter round edges. Modern front-to-back triangular glue blocks reinforce the joining of the top and sides, and two 6½” triangular modern glue blocks reinforce the top to the back.

The outer supports for the side drawers are notched to fit around the stiles, nailed to them, and at the center nailed to the sides. Drawer guides are nailed from above to the outer drawer supports. Drawer supports with full length rabbets serve as the inner support and guide for the side drawers. The supports are notched and nailed to the medial stiles, and notched and nailed into notches in the lower edge of the back. (Filler pieces are glued in place to compensate for the back notches being too wide for the supports.) Drawer supports for the center drawer are notched and nailed to the medial stiles with the tenons nailed to the back from the back. Drawer guides are nailed from above to the drawer supports. Supporting lath blocks are butt joined to the supports from below and nailed to the back and stiles. All supports and guides for the lower section side drawers are replacements.

The side stretchers are tenoned and pegged into the front stretcher and tenoned into the rear stretcher. The front and side sections are curved to echo the shapes of the sides and skirts. The turned legs are in two or possibly three sections joined by round tenons to each other and to the corner stiles and the feet. The compressed ball feet have through mortices.
Modern nails have been driven from the underside into the round tenon in the feet, probably as a wedge. The back and PR stretchers and PR rear foot are replacements.

Lower section drawers are of similar construction as the upper case, however the grain of the bottoms is front-to-back rather than side-to-side (front to back grained bottoms are replacements). The center drawer has one dovetail on at each corner the side drawers have two.

The primary wood throughout is cedar with yellow pine as secondary for drawer interiors. White pine and tulip poplar (lower left drawer) have been user through the years for repairs and replacements. Original pegs are of 3/16” diameter.
InscribedIn pencil inside the back of a small drawer "Right hand/ Drawr".

In pencil inside the backboard of the upper case "Bartiliy W. Ghiliy"/ May 10 1812"
MarkingsNone.
ProvenanceAccording to source, piece was purchased about 1915 by a Philadelphia collector in Princess Anne, Maryland. Poss. history of Unionville, Pennsylvannia ownership. MMM 12/11/1969.