High Chest of Drawers

Makerpossibly American

Collections

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Dateca. 1710

Mediumwalnut, yellow pine, and eastern white pine, burl ash veneer, and brass

Dimensions57 1/4 x 39 x 20 1/2 in. (145.4 x 99.1 x 52.1 cm.)

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gail-Oxford Collection

Status

On view

Label TextHigh chests of drawers, storage cases raised up on tall, slender legs, were a design innovation of the Baroque period. Used in 18th-century American homes to store linens, clothing, and other valuable textiles, they were typically placed in bedchambers and often paired with dressing tables of similar design. In their soaring verticality, high chests of drawers represent a dramatic alternative to the ponderous weight and horizontal massing of earlier forms. Their visually rich surfaces—often created through the application of ornate burl veneers— further invigorate the furniture of this period. With its spiral legs, early dovetailed board construction, original brasses, and rich burl ash veneer, this high chest is among the most unusual pieces in the Gail-Oxford Collection. Spiral legs on high chests of this period, while rare, are associated with New York, where the influence of Dutch and Flemish design traditions continued well into the 18th century. In this deftly composed high chest, the graceful curves of the stretcher echo the lines of the skirt in the lower case. The flat top of the upper case provides a platform for displaying delftware, porcelain, or other ornamental wares.

Object number2010.8

Exhibitions

American Made: Selections from The Huntington's Early American Art Collections