Chest of drawers

Date1800-1820

OriginAmerica, Massachusetts or New Hampshire

MediumCherry with mahogany, birch, white pine, light and dark wood inlay

DimensionsOH: 39 1/2"; OW: 48 5/8"; OD: 21 1/16"

Credit LineGift of Anonymous Donors

Object number1971-540

DescriptionFlat top with projecting corners; 3/4 circle at front, semi-circle at rear; face of the top inlaid on front and sides with alternating light and dark inlay. Straight sides; attached plain 3/4 column at rear and 3/4 fluted columns at front; Front of chest composed of four graduated drawers with veneered fronts banded by borders of lightwood inlay. Each drawer with two wood knobs star punched on front; lightwood inlaid urns around keyhole at center; plain ogee skirt on front and sides with four legs being an extension of columns at corners; below the skirt the front legs are reeded the rear legs are plain; all four terminate in trumpet peg legs.Label TextEbenezer Lord, a Portsmouth, New Hampshire, cabinetmaker, advertised in 1827 that he manufactured "Mahogany Bureaus - birch ends and tops with mahogany fronts." Since the front of a chest of drawers would have been the visual focal point, the cabinetmaker and his customer were willing to pay for the expensive mahogany on that facade. Like Lord's chest, this example has mahogany and maple veneers on the drawer fronts. In order to cut costs, cherry stained to resemble the mahogany was used for the top, "ends" or sides, and legs. Using a local wood such as cherry or birch allowed the maker to produce pieces similar in appearance to mahogany versions but at a fraction of the cost.Mark(s)none