Chest of Drawers with a family history in Hillsboro, Pocahontas County, West Virginia
Cherry, poplar, white pine; lightwood inlay
Circa 1800
H: 46″; W: 41″; D: 19.5″
Possibly from the shop of David Surbaugh (1755-1823)
Cherry, poplar, white pine; lightwood inlay
Circa 1800
H: 46″; W: 41″; D: 19.5″
The shaping of the skirt and feet of this chest tie it to others produced by the shop of David Surbaugh, a cabinetmaker who worked in Lewisburg, West Virginia. Surbaugh (Americanized from Zorbach) was a Hessian soldier in the Revolution who was captured in the battle of Saratoga and spent the remainder of the War as a POW. Upon his release he opted to indenture himself with an unknown cabinetmaker in York, Pennsylvania where he married and began a family. By 1820 he resided in Lewisburg, WV with his own cabinetmaking shop. According to the Greenbrier Historical society, he was a prolific cabinetmaker with a large shop which included 7 slaves. Several of his pieces are displayed at the North House, a property of the Historical Society. Further research is necessary to determine the exact nature of the relationship between this chest and the Surbaugh group but there are enough similarities to make a preliminary attribution.
The combination of the chest’s unusually high stance, and narrow profile gives the chest a vertical emphasis that is consistent with other cabinetmaking in the region.
This chest survives in excellent condition.
SOLD
