FINE QUEEN ANNE CARVED AND FIGURED MAPLE BONNET-TOP HIGH CHEST OF DRAWERS, SUFFIELD, CONNECTICUT, CIRCA 1745 |

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

1 1/2 in. rectangular patch on tympanum right side adjacent to upper right corner of shell carved door. Small divot to upper left corner on middle long drawer of upper case. Brass escutcheons on bottom two long drawers on upper case have right upper scroll lacking. The front molding of case right side has chip to bottom where it meets the base. 3 in. by 2 in. patch on right side of case at upper front corner and a 9 in. tight crack at bottom rear. Some tight cracks to left side of upper case. Rear left leg knee return appears to have been reattached. Right rear leg broken and reattached just below the knee. Purchasers may pay for and pick up their purchases from any of our Americana Week sales taking place from January 17-20, 2019, at our York Avenue headquarters until the close of business on Sunday, January 20, 2019. After this time, all property (sold and unsold) will be transferred to our offsite facility, Crozier Fine Art, One Star Ledger Plaza, 69 Court Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102. Once property has been transferred from our York Avenue location, it will not be available for collection at Crozier Fine Arts until Friday, January 25, 2019. Crozier's hours of operation for collection are from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday-Friday. Please note, certain items of property, including but not limited to jewelry, watches, silver and works on panel will remain at 1334 York Avenue. Invoices and statements will indicate your property's location. For more information regarding collection from our offsite facility, please visit sothebys.com/pickup.
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.

Made of vibrantly figured tiger maple and supported on tall cabriole legs with pronounced rounded knees, this closed bonnet-top high chest of drawers is an early example of Queen Anne case furniture from the Suffield, Connecticut area. It closely relates in design to two flat-top high chests with histories in northern Connecticut: one of curly maple belonged to Reverend Stephen Williams (1722-1795) of Longmeadow and his wife Martha Hunt (1725-1786) of Northampton, who married in 1748;¹ the other made of cherry descended in the Spencer family of Suffield.² These three high chests have the same general massive shaping of the upper and lower cases, front and side aprons with flattened arches and pendant drops, carved shells with the rectangular block below, and slender cabriole legs of the same distinct shape. A tiger maple dressing table with ribbed pad feet in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is also part of this group.³ Similar tall cabriole legs with pronounced knees are found on several case pieces identified by Thomas and Alice Kugelman in their Connecticut furniture study as the “spool-foot group.”⁴ They note that the high chests and dressing tables included in the group were made in one shop operating in the Windsor area during the 1740s with the master possibly being Samuel Stoughton II (1702-1789).⁵  Aside from the rounded knee cabriole legs, this chest displays several other notable features associated with the other pieces, such as a midmolding divided horizontally into two parts and attached to the upper and lower cases, front and side aprons with flattened arches, pendant drops, and brasses inset on the long drawers to create a waisted effect.

¹ See Thomas P. Kugelman and Alice K. Kugelman, Connecticut Valley Furniture (Hartford: Connecticut Historical Society Museum, 2005): cat. 10a, p. 32.
² See ibid, cat. 10, pp. 32-4
³ See ibid, cat. 10d, p. 34.
⁴ See ibid, p. 24-31.
⁵ See ibid, p. 24.