Chest of drawers

Date1809

MediumCherry and white pine with whitewood inlays, and brass.

DimensionsOH: 35 3/8"; OW: 43 1/2"; OD: 23"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2001-821

DescriptionAppearance: A bow front chest on flaring French feet below a scalloped skirt and four graduated drawers fitted with original hardware and highlighted with inlaid stringing and four quarter fans in each corner below a conforming top ornamented inlaid saw tooth swags and the date "1809" at each end.

Construction: Sides dovetailed to bottom. Two-board top, reinforced later with boards screwed to underside, joined to top with sliding half dovetails and reinforced inside case with four glue-blocks along each side. Three horizontal tongue-and-groove backboards are nailed into rabbets in sides and to edge of bottom. Top is joined to back with one block (4") screwed to center of top of backboard and nailed to top. Cherry drawer blades are joined to sides with sliding dovetails. Top blade above top drawer is also nailed to underside of top. A facing strip on the front edge of sides covers the dovetails and is also used to face the front edge of the bottom board. Drawer runners are nailed to the insides of the case behind drawer blades. The bottom drawer runs on the drawer bottom. Full height vertical drawer stops are nailed to the sides at the back corners.

Flaring French front feet are mitered and supported with vertical glue blocks resting on mitered horizontal glue blocks carved to conform to shape of the knee returns. Knee returns, integral to the feet, are nailed to the bottom. Wedge-shaped rear foot braces are dadoed inside the rear feet, nailed and glued to the bottom and further secured with vertical glue blocks resting on mitered horizontal glue blocks. A shaped apron is butt joined to the front knee returns and joined to the bottom with glue, nails and two glue blocks.

Shaped drawer fronts are formed of three to eight horizontally laminated pine boards, veneered on the fronts. Drawer fronts and backs are dove-tailed to the sides with bottoms, with side to side grain orientation, chamfered to fit into dados in sideboards and drawer front. Drawer bottoms are nailed to the bottom edge of drawer back. Cock-beading is glued and nailed to edges of drawers.

Front and side edges of the top have been stamped with a tool to create a saw-toothed swag and the date "1809" at each end of front. Swags and date are filled with a light colored putty material.

Cut nails were used in original construction with wire nails used for later repair and strengthening.

MarkingsInlaid date "1809" at each end of the front edge of the top.
ProvenancePurchased by Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Stone from Israel Sack, Inc; The Chipstone Foundation.