The Very Rare Gay Family Chippendale Cherrywood Two-Part Specimen Cabinet, probably Hingham, Massachusetts, circa 1790

Made for Ebenezer Gay (1696-1787) of Hingham, Massachusetts and descended through the Gay family to the present owner.

Secondary wood is White Pine. A number of pieces of brass hardware lacking. Foot facings cracked. Proper right front scroll return partially lost. Side carrying handles replaced.
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.

Specimen cabinets are one of the rarest forms of furniture from the eighteenth century. Due to their cost of production only a truly dedicated connoisseur of nature would have one commissioned.  As stated by Claudia Mooney “cabinets of curiosity emerged in the 16th century and were in essence the first museums. They were private collections that included both natural and artificial rarities. These cabinets were also called wunderkammer, which translates into wonder room. A classic example of a historic wunderkammer is pictured in Ferrante Imperato’s Dell’Historia Naturale, and features a room packed with books, ceramics, taxidermied birds, shells, and even an alligator on the ceiling. These rooms were intended to arouse wonder and interest by displaying the rare and curious. Leaders such as Francesco I di Medici, Frederick III of Denmark and Peter the Great all had their own cabinets.”

This cabinet originally belonged to Ebenezer Gay, the father of the Unitarian Church.  Gay defined natural religion as "that which bare Reason discourses and dictates."  He most certainly was interested in nature and the collecting of specimens of which this cabinet was used for.  The presence of several of the drawers lined with period blue paper and the sliding doors lacking evidence of an applied textile indicates that the contents were meant to be seen and were not damaged by sunlight.

Provenance:

Ebenezer Gay (1696-1787), Hingham, Massachusetts, father of American Unitarianism;
Martin Gay (1726-1809), Boston and Hingham, Massachusetts, copper smith and merchant;
Ebenezer Gay (1771-1842), Hingham, Massachusetts;
Winckworth Allan Gay (1821-1910), Hingham, Massachusetts, painter;
Arthur W Gay (1901-1958) ;
Mary Otis Gay (1861-1933);
Elizabeth Neall Willcox (1899-1964);
Emily Magee Kidwell (b. 1929);
Current owner