A Fine CHIPPENDALE Carved and FIGURED WALNUT CHEST-ON-CHEST, Pennsylvania, possibly Lancaster County, circa 1790

secondary wood is poplar; appears to retain its original hardware; 6 ½ by ¾ inch patch to proper right front side of waist molding; 4 ¼ by ½ inch patch to proper left side of waist molding, refinished.
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.

With its exuberant yet idiosyncratic ornamentation and architectonic form, the present chest-on-chest is a rural Pennsylvania interpretation of a highly fashionable and expensive urban Philadelphia case form.¹ In manufacturing this chest, its skilled maker has demonstrated an informed knowledge of architectural forms and Philadelphia cabinetmaking practice. The tall architectonic case and overall design - notably the swan's neck pediment, dentil molding, rosettes, pierced tympanum, blind fretwork frieze, quarter columns, and ogee bracket feet - are patterned after Philadelphia cabinetwork in the Rococo style. The vocabulary of the carving, in particular the rosettes, shell and pierced scrolls of the tympanum, and fretwork, is emblematic of Philadelphia work but rendered in a provincial manner, suggesting an origin outside an urban cabinetmaking center. The walnut primary wood is typical of the Mid-Atlantic area, as is the poplar, which here is the sole secondary wood rather than one more commonly found in combination with yellow pine and cedar. The oval eagle brasses and oval escutcheons appear to be original.

The use of large pins to secure the framing members of the English form of this chest-on-chest is typical of the Germanic woodworking traditions found in Lancaster County, located approximately sixty miles from Philadelphia. Related Pennsylvania case pieces with a less successful yet similar combination of characteristics have been attributed to the vicinity of Lancaster, the largest inland town in eighteenth century America where approximately 160 carpenters, joiners, and cabinetmakers were working between 1760 and 1810.²  These pieces include a dressing table at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,³ a desk-and-bookcase in a private collection,⁴ and a high chest at the State Department.⁵  The latter is attributed to a member of the Lind family, who emigrated from Scandinavia and worked as joiners in Lancaster County between 1752 and 1830. As a group, these case pieces represent the confluence of European customs and immigrant cultures on the prevailing furniture styles of colonial America.

¹ For a Philadelphia example, see Gerald Ward, American Case Furniture, New Haven, 1988, no. 89, pp. 187-9.
² Morrison Heckscher, American Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1985, p. 262.
³ See Heckscher, no. 170, p. 262 and
⁴ See Helen Comstock, American Furniture, Atglen, PA, 1962, no. 335.
⁵ See Clement Conger and Alexandra Rollins, Treasures of State, New York, 1991, no. 103, p. 193.