Chest on stand

Date1740-1760

OriginAmerica, North Carolina or Virginia

MediumBlack walnut, yellow pine, white oak, and mahogany inlay

DimensionsOH: 31 1/8"; OW: 33 3/4"; OD: 15 1/16"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Sara and Fred Hoyt Furniture Fund

Object number2010-2

DescriptionAppearance: Chest on stand: small chest with hinged lid sits on a stand with rounded molding around top edges of front and sides; stand has two side by side drawers, each inlaid with mahogany stringing in rectangle around drawer front with wooden drawer pulls (replaced); front skirt with V shaped central drop and shaped knee returns, side skirts with ogee shaping; straight cabriole legs with pad feet.

Construction: Chest: Sides are joined to front and back with blind mitered dovetails. Vertical molding was added in all four corners when sides were re-planed, causing the corners to no longer meet. Bottom board with side to side grain is set in rabbets in front, back and sides and nailed from the bottom. The lid is attached with interior strap hinges which appear to be forth campaign (evidence of earlier butterfly and butt hinges). The top of the backboard has been chamfered on the outside to allow the lid to open fully, probably when replacement hinges were added. There is evidence of now missing moldings on the front and side edges of the lid.

Stand: Rails and drawer blades are joined to legs with pinned tenons. The vertical drawer divider is joined to the front rail and drawer blade with pinned tenons. A single board that functions as the inside drawer runner for both drawers is nailed to battens that are in turn nailed to the back of the drawer blade and inside of the back. The battens are tapered at both ends. A center drawer guide is nailed to the top of the drawer runner. Side drawer runners with integral drawer guides are nailed to the front and back stiles. Quarter-round moldings are nailed to the top of the sides and front rails to form a rabbet into which the chest rests.

Drawer sides are joined to the front and back with a single large dovetail reinforced with one modern nail. The grain of the original drawer bottoms runs front to back. Bottoms are nailed to the edges of the back and sides and into a rabbet in the drawer front. Two wooden pulls on each drawer have replaced the original center brass pull.

ProvenanceFound by dealer in Brunswick County, Virginia in 2009.