Blanket chest with drawers

Dateca. 1825

Attributed to Thomas Matteson

OriginAmerica, Vermont, Shaftsbury (probably)

MediumTulip poplar, basswood, paint, and brass

DimensionsOH: 39 3/8"; OW: 40 1/4"; OD: 18 3/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2001-822

DescriptionAppearance: A chest over drawers with two faux drawer fronts above two graduated drawers supported by French feet; chest, with lidded till inside, along proper right side accessed by a hinged top; all grain-painted to simulate maple and birch veneers with lightwood stringing; drawer fronts and top painted with green quarter-round "fans" in each corner; green oval painted in center of skirt; stamped oval brass drawer pulls and escutcheons.
CONSTRUCTION: Blanket chest section: Hinged two-board top with ½"x1 1/8" flat molding on front and side edges. Original butt hinges connected to top with early screws and to back with early nails. Blanket chest front and back half-lapped and nailed to sides which extend to the feet. Two-board bottom is half-lapped, slid into dados in case sides and nailed to front, sides and backboard. Two simulated drawer fronts are glued and nailed to front. The front and bottom of the till are dadoed into the backboard and front rail. Its top has a ¼" quirk bead along its front edge and is hinged with integral posts tenoned into the backboard and front. A modern leather strap is tacked to the underside of the top and inside of the PL case side. There is evidence of an earlier tack near the modern tacks on the top.
Drawer section: Below the blanket chest are two drawers. The upper drawer blade is slid into dados in the case sides. Drawer runners are nailed to the sides. The front skirt functions as the lower drawer blade. A horizontal rail at the bottom back of the case is slid into dados in the case sides at the level of the lower drawer runners. Trim strips ½"x ¾" are nailed to the front-facing edge of the sides, covering the drawer blade joints between the bottom edge of the chest front and the top of the skirt.
Backboards: The top board of the three horizontal board backboard functions as the back of the blanket chest and is butt joined to the second board which is in turn tongue and groove joined to the third board. The backboards overlap the edges of the sideboards and are nailed to them. The bottom backboard is nailed at the bottom to the horizontal rear rail.
Feet: The front feet are integral to the front skirt and sides. The front skirt is half-lapped and nailed over the sides to form the front feet. The rear bracket feet are nailed to the rear edges of the side brackets and to the horizontal glue blocks. All feet have one vertical glue block. The rear feet have horizontal blocks glued just below the horizontal rear rail.
Drawer construction: Standard dovetail construction; two board drawer bottoms are slightly chamfered and slid into dados in the drawer front and sides and nailed to bottom edge of back.
Oval brass pulls are original as are oval escutcheons covering faux keyholes.
Inscribed"Bottom" written twice in chalk on the underside of the upper drawer bottom.
Chalk inverted "V"s at inside, top center of drawer backs.
MarkingsOriginal brass hardware marked "WJ," probably for William Jenkins of Birmingham, England, who closed his partnership with Thomas Hands in 1805 and worked alone until his son joined him in 1823.