Images(2)

Chest of Drawers

Date1780-1820

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Washington County

MediumBlack walnut and tulip poplar

DimensionsOH: 42"; OW: 44 1/4"; OD: 20 1/4"

Credit LineGift of Roddy and Sally Moore

Object number2013-85

DescriptionAppearance: Chest of Drawers; overhanging top with molded edge over chest with two small drawers over three long graduated drawers all with cockbeaded edges and wooden drawer pulls (not original); fluted quarter columns at front corners of chest; molded base molding over shaped bracket feet.

Construction:
The front and rear upper rails are dovetailed to the single board sides as is the tongue and groove joined two board bottom. The two board tongue and groove joined top with integral molding is face nailed to the rails and sides. The lower front rail is nailed to the upper side of the bottom from below. The stiles are nailed into notches in the upper (front) and lower rails and each drawer blade. The horizontal back boards are set into rabbets in the sides and nailed into the edge of the bottom and rear upper rail.

Drawer blades are tenoned into the sides and are dadoed on the back edge. They have been relieved on the underside as appropriate for drawer lock tongues. Drawer supports (replaced) are toe-nailed into the drawer blades and rest in dados in the sides. Drawer guides (replaced) are nailed into the upper side of the drawer supports. The drawer divider for the two small drawers is tenoned into the upper rail and the topmost drawer blade. The center drawer support is toenailed into the drawer blade and nailed to the back from the back. The center drawer guide is toe-nailed to the drawer separator and nailed to the back from the back. Two modern drawer stops are nailed to the upper side of the drawer blades for each drawer.

Note: Nail hole evidence indicates that the center drawer guide and support do not represent original construction. It is possible that the small drawers were supported by a dustboard that rested in the existing dados in the sides and been tongue and groove joined to the drawer blade. Drawer guides would have been nailed to the outer edges of the dustboard and the center drawer guide nailed to it behind the drawer separator. Holes would have been cut in the dustboard as appropriate for the Quaker (wooden spring) locks for which evidence exists on the small drawers.

Fluted quarter-columns are nailed to the edge of the sides and glued and possibly nailed to the stiles. Capitals above and below are glued and possibly nailed to the stiles as are the blocks above and below the capitals.

The side facing front and back bracket feet are of one piece, relieved between the front and back foot to form a straight skirt. At the front, they are lap joined to front facing bracket feet. At the rear, angular brackets are lap joined and face nailed to the side facing bracket feet . All brackets (bracket feet and rear brackets) are positioned under the bottom and fastened it from below to support weight. Brackets on the proper right(PR) side are fastened with nails and those on the proper left(PL) side with screws. A corner block is nailed to the inside of the front PL bracket foot and extends from the underside of the bottom to 1 1/8” above the bottom of the foot. The PL front and side bracket feet and skirt are of 1 1/8” stock, the PR front bracket foot is of 7/8” stock and side bracket feet and skirt of ¾” stock. All are original with the exception that the rear facing bracket on the PL side is missing and has been replaced with a board nailed to the back and to the edge of the side bracket foot (see condition report for details).

The base moldings are nailed to the edge of the bottom board, resting on the edge of and over-lapping the bracket feet and side skirts.

The drawers are of dovetail construction with the underside of the front and sides chamfered apparently to fit into dados in the front and sides. Positive evidence is missing as the bottom edges of the sides have been replaced and the bottom edges of the drawer fronts have been altered and reinforced. (see condition report) Modern replacement boards nailed to the sides and drawer fronts now hold the bottoms in place. The bottoms are nailed to the bottom edge of the backs. Wooden drawer pulls are modern.

Primary wood including all exterior wood on the case and drawers is solid walnut. Secondary wood including case back, bottom, upper back rail, drawer sides and drawer bottoms is tulip poplar.
Label TextThis chest has a recovery history in Washington County, Virginia and may indeed have been made in that area. Like many Valley of Virginia chests, this example exhibits Pennsylvania influences with its fluted quarter columns, but in proportions more often seen in the Southern Backcountry.
InscribedOn back of backboards in black paint "Jonas Kelley/ Prestons'" and in pencil beneath the paint "Jonis Kelley/ Saltville va"

Pencil inscriptions on bottom of drawer. Inscriptions appear to be letters rather than words including the letters M, W, N, O, A and C.
ProvenanceOwned by Mr. & Mrs. Garnand, Brook Hall, Washington County, Virginia in the 20th century. Mrs. Garnand purchased regional antiques to furnish the house and also had a small shop. This piece was apparently one used to furnish the house and was most likely sold with the estate at John Elkins Auction, Glade Hill, Virginia in the 1990s.

Based on inscriptions on the back of the chest, it was probably owned in the mid-19th century by Jonas Kelley of Washington County and Saltville, Virginia.