Lot 407
  • 407

An Important Federal Red-and-Green Paint-Decorated Yellow Pine and Poplar Chest of Drawers, Attributed to Johannes Braun, with decoration attributed to Johann Valentin Schuller, Jr., Mahantongo Valley, Pennsylvania, 1829

Estimate
200,000 - 400,000 USD
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Description

  • Poplar
  • Height 49 in. by Width 43 1/4 in. by Depth 21 in.
Appears to retain its original brass hardware. Front edge of top inscribed 1829.

Provenance

Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1994-20-44, Gift of Susanne Strassburger Anderson, Valerie Anderson Readman, and Veronica Anderson Macdonald from the estate of Mae Bourne and Ralph Beaver Strassburger, 1994.

Condition

Secondary wood Yellow Pine.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

With its distinctive birds flanking the tree of life and vibrant decorative scheme, this exceptional chest of drawers falls into a group of some fifty-seven pieces of exuberantly painted furniture made in the Mahantongo Valley of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, an area just north of Harrisburg that was settled by Pennsylvania Germans. Dated 1829, this chest appears to be the collaboration between the cabinetmaker, Johannes Braun (b. 1808), and the Fraktur artist and decorative painter, Johann Valentin Schuller, Jr. (b. 1759), who worked in the region of Northumberland County.

Johannes Braun was born in 1808 to Michael Braun (1772-1851) and his wife Catharina and later joined his father in the cabinetmaking and carpentry business. The Northumberland County Biographical Annals records that “John Brown, son of Michael … lived on the place now occupied by his son John F. Brown. He was not only a farmer, but a carpenter and weaver as well, doing house and shop carpentry, making considerable furniture and in his earlier years many coffins, and he wove all sorts of woolen wear and carpets.” Made of poplar with four long drawers, this tall four-drawer chest is constructed with the refinements of a molded overhanging molded top, inset paneled sides, and turned feet.

The whimsical painted decoration, which is comprised of birds, trees, and stenciled rosettes inspired by contemporary printed Fraktur, is attributed to Johann Valentin Schuller, Jr., who executed nearly identical motifs on the Taufschein of Susan Brown bearing his signature (see Henry M. Reed, Decorated Furniture of the Mahantongo Valley, 1987, plate 20, p. 57). Married to Eva Huber, the daughter of Henry Huber of Pinegrove Township, Schuller’s Fraktur’s were frequently signed, either by hand or in print, and characterized by fine penmanship and patterns colored in shades of red and yellow.  He is particularly known for his half size certificates, in which urns and tulips neatly flank the text. He bought many pre-printed forms for his Fraktur work in Reading, including 150 certificates noted in the Alder account book for February 16, 1813.

Braun and Schuller worked together on several other pieces of Mahantongo furniture, including the 1828 Rebecca Braun cupboard in the collection of the Barnes Foundation, the 1830 “Concortia” cupboard in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the 1829 Andrea Braun chest (see Reed, figs. 18, 19, and 43, pp. 34, 35, and 58).  They also possibly collaborated on the 1834 Peter Braun chest (see plate 10, p. 29) A very similar four drawer Mahantongo chest attributed to Johannes Braun with painted decoration attributed to Johann Schuller sold at Sotheby’s, Important Americana, May 23, 2002, sale 7801, lot 299. A related hanging cupboard attributed to Johannes Braun sold in the same sale as lot 296.