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Double chest of drawers

Date1775-1795

Possibly by Joseph Ray (w.c. 1767-1799)

Possibly by John Price (w.c.1780-1797)

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Augusta County

MediumBlack walnut and yellow pine

DimensionsOH: 89 1/2"; OW: 43"; OD: 23 1/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1999-72

DescriptionAppearance: double chest of drawers in two parts; upper case has a broken scrolled pediment with carved rosettes and three wooden twisted flame finials, the outer two on reeded plinths; horizontal cornice with wall of troy molding above a row of three small drawers, over two larger drawers, over three graduated long drawers all with thumbnail molded edges; fluted quarter columns; lower case divided from upper case with heavy mid molding over three graduated drawers with fluted quarter columns; all over a base molding and ogee bracket feet.

Construction: On the upper chest, the rectangular top and the bottom are dovetailed to the sides. The pediment is butt-joined with two screws into the top on each side. (The tympanum board does not touch the top as the pediment rests on the moldings at each end.) The three-piece cornice molding (small cove, dental, large cove) is nailed and glued to the tympanum board. Carved rosettes are glued and nailed to fluted "barrels" at the ends of the front most molding. The "barrels" have been extended to 3" deep with butt joined and glued matching walnut. The cornice molding is miter joined to the side molding that in turn is nailed into the top molding of the case which is in turn nailed to the case sides, stiles and top rail. Plinths on each front corner are glued into rabbets in the cornice molding. The plinth at the center of the tympanum is reinforced from the back with a beveled glue block. The plinths are drilled to hold a finial peg. The three piece case top molding (flat with a bead, Greek Key, cove) is nailed to the sides, stiles and top.
The top rail is internally pinned (headless nail) to the stiles and nailed from the back to a butt joined 1¼"x 2¼" lath that is in turn tenoned to the sides. The stiles extend flush with the top and bottom and are tapered from back to front to accommodate tighter fitting of a fluted quarter column that is glued to the stile and pegged at each drawer blade to the sides. The stile is notched to receive the square cut column base and capitol which are glued to the stile and extend to the top and bottom of the stile. The stiles are nailed to the edge of the bottom and probably the top. The proper right stile is also nailed (probably later) to the lath joined to the top rail. The bottom rail is nailed from the upper edge into the stiles and face nailed into the edge of the bottom.

Drawer blades are half lapped and pegged to the sides and, with the exception of the top-most drawer blade, nailed from below to the stiles. Full depth dust boards are tongue and groove joined to the drawer blades and dadoed to the sides. Drawer dividers for the smaller drawers are tenoned and pegged into the top rail and drawer blades. Drawer guides are nailed to the drawer blades and dust boards immediately behind the drawer dividers and to the outside edges of the dust boards and case bottom. Drawer runners (modern) for the bottom drawer are nailed to the drawer guides and each rests on three blocks that sit on the bottom and are nailed to the drawer guides.

The horizontal yellow pine tongue and groove joined back boards are nailed into rabbets in the sides, top and bottom.

On the lower case, the top and bottom are dovetailed to the sides. The top rail is nailed to the edge of the top and to the stiles from its lower edge. The stiles with quarter columns have the same construction as in the upper case. Also like the upper case, the stiles are nailed to the case sides at the bottom and probably the top and the fluted columns are pegged to the case sides. The two piece top molding is nailed to the sides, top, stiles and top rail, and overlaps the upper case.
The drawer blades are nailed from below to the stiles, half lapped to the sides and tongue and groove joined to the full depth dust boards which are in turn dadoed to the sides. In an apparent attempt to stabilize a split, the proper left side is nailed to the upper drawer blade twice and to the lower drawer blade and to the lower dust board. Drawer guides are nailed behind the stiles to the drawer blades and dust boards and on the bottom, to drawer runners that in turn are nailed to the bottom.
The back consists of three tongue and groove joined yellow pine boards nailed into rabbets in the sides and top. The bottom-most back board extends below the case bottom and is nailed to a 1'x4' lath that is in turn nailed to the underside of the bottom from the underside of the lath. The edges of the back board extend down to form brackets that butt-join the extended edges of the sides to form the back legs. Side facing ogee bracket feet are nailed to the rear legs.

The bottom rail is nailed to a ¾"x 3¾" lath that is nailed in turn to the bottom from the underside. It is also internally nailed or possibly half-lapped to the stiles and probably face nailed to the edge of the bottom. The stiles extend through the bottom with the attached extended capitols terminating 1 ½" above the floor and the stile extending to the floor where it butt joins the extended edges of the sides to form the front legs. Front and side facing ogee bracket feet are miter joined and nailed to the front legs.

The drawers are of standard dovetail construction with the bottom chamfered on the underside, set in dados in the front and sides and nailed to the back from the underside. Overlapping drawer fronts with integral beaded edges have original locks and later (3rd campaign) drawer pulls.

Label TextThe design of this massive chest, which descended in the Cabell family of Augusta County, Virginia, was inspired by furniture made in the Philadelphia region. This chest, a two-drawer chest of drawers, and a clock case in the Colonial Williamsburg collection are by the same hand that executed the principle chimney breast in the 1791 Archibald Stuart house in Staunton, seat of Augusta County. Among the Stuart family papers are bills for furniture made and repaired by Joseph Ray and John Price of Augusta County.
ProvenanceCabell family of Augusta County, Virginia.
According to vendor, the double chest was originally owned by Anne Cary Carrington who married William Cabell Sr. in 1771.

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