Images(4)

Corner Cupboard

Date1790-1820

OriginAmerica, Tennessee, Knox County (possibly)

MediumCherry, tulip poplar, yellow pine, brass, and iron

DimensionsOverall: 92 1/4 × 53 1/2 × 27in. (234.3 × 135.9 × 68.6cm)
Depth of side: 37in. (94cm)

Credit LineGift of Dr. Marsha Taliaferro-Giles

Object number2023-74

DescriptionOne-piece corner cupboard with broad front and short angled side returns; sides of case angle back toward a narrow backboard; two paneled doors to upper case, each with eight rectangular raised panels with molded edges, surmounted by a molded cornice on front and angled side returns; waist molding nailed to case around front and side returns; lower case with two doors each with four raised panels with molded edges over a base molding with integral ogee bracket feet; case stiles and sides extend behind ogee brackets as structural support; proper left upper and lower doors each have a round wooden pull tenoned through stile; interior of upper case has four shelves, lower case had 2 shelves.Label TextCorner cupboards were often conceived of as architectural storage units and were made by carpenters or joiners rather than cabinetmakers. This example, with its twenty-four raised panels, reflects the construction and aesthetics associated with carpenter or joiner-made furniture. Similar examples can also be seen in the paneled cupboards from the Eastern Shore of Virginia where the paneling on the cupboards echoed that of home interiors of the region. The extremely unusual use of eight raised panels on each of the upper doors of this cupboard was perhaps inspired by glazed corner cupboards of the period, including those by Moses Crawford of Knox Co, TN, that often had eight glass panes in each door. While the Knox County origin of this piece is only documented as a late 20th century retrieval origin, it certainly could have been made in that locale. Eastern and Central Tennessee homes were being built in the 1790s to early 1800s with fully paneled fireplace walls often with built in cupboards.ProvenancePurchased by donors in 2003 from Lisburn Lane Antiques in Ordinary, Virginia. Dealers provided provenance that the cupboard had been “Found in Knox Co., Tennessee.”