Quarter Columns & Ogee Bracket Feet
Upper Potomac River Valley ~ Virginia or Western Maryland
Circa 1790
Exceptional proportions and diminutive scale
20 ½” deep, 36 ½” wide, 39 ¼” tall
Commentary: Tall chests of drawers featuring varying horizontal arrangements of smaller upper drawers over four and five larger graduated case width lower drawers were relatively common in Pennsylvania and southwestward down the Valley of Virginia into North Carolina, Tennessee and further. Much less numerous were chests made with the same vertical emphasis and similar drawer formats but with significantly reduced proportions. This chest – measuring only a bit over 36” wide – is an exceptionally small and very appealing example of this scarce form.
In style and construction, this chest represents the intermingling of diverse craft and cultural traditions by early Virginia artisans. The form of the chest is distinctly English in its origins as are stylistic traits such as the bold ogee bracket feet, fluted quarter columns, cock beaded drawers and “Hepplewhite” brass hardware. The substitution of framed, mortise and tenoned drawer supports rather than full dust boards and the finely wedged dovetails throughout the drawers are Germanic features associated with case pieces in the upper Valley of Virginia. Similar chests have been attributed to Winchester, Virginia and southward in the Valley including Page County. MESDA recently acquired a similar but slightly larger chest of this form but with unusual gadrooned quarter columns linked to the Wolford family of Shenandoah County, Virginia and subsequently Tennessee. Other related examples can be found in MESDA research files S 2322 and NN 1875.
Condition: The chest is in excellent condition with its original feet, blocking and what are likely its original brasses. Remnants of a degenerated varnish surface were removed by F.C.Vogt Company of Richmond, Va. and the underlying wood surface “brought up’ through multiple coats of padded on varnish and several coats of carefully hand-rubbed paste wax.
Price: sold
