FINE AND RARE QUEEN ANNE CARVED CHERRYWOOD FLAT-TOP HIGH CHEST OF DRAWERS WITH STEPS, ATTRIBUTED TO SAMUEL BROWN, COLCHESTER, CONNECTICUT, CIRCA 1770 |

G.K.S. Bush, Inc., Washington, D.C.

G.K.S. Bush, Inc. Advertisement, Antiques, March 1986, vol. CXXIX, no. 3, p. 471.

Overall fine condition. Wear commensurate with age and use. Age splits/cracks to the sides of the upper and lower cases. The knee returns have been previously detached and reglued, the two rear returns are lacking their scroll element. There is a 2" x 2" patch to the proper left side of the case, likely the result of an age crack to the side panel. The proper right drop-finial was previously cracked and reglued. Secondary wood: White 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.

One of the earliest chests known in the Colchester style and rare for surviving with its original stepped superstructure, this high chest is nearly identical to a high chest in a private collection signed by Samuel Brown (born 1748), who likely signed it as a shop apprentice.¹ He married Prudence Sawyer at the age of 20 in 1768 and they moved to Norwich, Vermont in 1769. The signed chest has a long history of ownership in the Welles family home located in the Gilead parish of Hebron, North of Colchester. It may have been originally owned by John Howell Welles (1744-1826) and his wife Mary (Bill) (1744-1794), who married on November 16, 1769. It could also have been owned by John’s father, Edmund Welles (1721-1805), who built the family homestead in 1764. Although lacking side finials and with inset brasses on the long drawers, this chest is otherwise identical to the chest signed by Samuel Brown. Both display design and construction characteristics associated with the Colchester style such as a distinctive shell design, scrolled knee returns, and prominent ankle hocks. They also exhibit the construction techniques of backboards nailed in rabbets to the case sides and top; drawer runners that are nailed to the case sides; drawer sides that are flat on top; and dovetails pins that are small and triangular.

A third related Colchester style example with similar steps is in the collection of the Henry Ford Museum.² It likely represents another shop tradition as it differs in drawer proportions, shaping of the bonnet opening and carving of the shells.

¹ See Thomas P. Kugelman and Alice K. Kugelman, Connecticut Valley Furniture (Hartford: Connecticut Historical Society Museum, 2005): no. 120, pp. 264-7.
² See ibid, cat. 120B, p. 266.