Chest of Drawers

Details

Descriptive Terms

chests of drawers
case furniture
mahogany (wood)
Norway spruce (wood)
pine (wood)
Chippendale
Mahogany
Pine
Chest Of Drawers

Label

In American furniture, formal details such as serpentine and oxbow-facades and bracket feet are markers of what is known by furniture specialists as the Chippendale style. The delicate bracket feet of this example are unusual, and relate to a similar chest thought to have been made by the cabinetmaker Luther Metcalf of Medway, Massachusetts. Metcalf's apprenticeship was interrupted by the Revolution and not completed until 1780. He went on to become a prominent cabinet and chair maker who employed and trained many craftsmen. This chest may have been produced by Metcalf or by a craftsman whom he trained. Probably constructed between the years 1790 and 1810, this chest demonstrates the persistence of Chippendale design in a period when a new style was becoming popular. The delicateness and restraint of the chest reflect the influence of the lighter-proportioned Federal design that came into fashion in the late eighteenth century.

Associated Building

Used at Barrett House (New Ipswich, N.H.),

Additional Identification Number

1948.154

Maker

Attributed to Metcalf, Luther, 1756-1838 (Maker)

Location of Origin

Medway, MA, USA

Dimensions

30 7/8 x 40 1/4 x 21 5/8 (HxWxD) (inches)

Credit Line

Bequest of Caroline Barr Wade

Accession Number

1955.429

Places

Massachusetts (United States)