Red, Yellow and Black Painted Maple, Ash and Tin Storage Box, Pennsylvania, dated 1853

Stamped on underside PATENT MC[?] & CO. Pat. AUG. 31. 1853 [?]

Don and Faye Walters, Goshen, Indiana 
Sotheby’s New York, "The American Folk Art Collection of Don and Faye Walters," October 25, 1986, lot 7

"Neat and Tidy," Philadelphia Antiques Show, 1985
"Folk Art Revealed," New York, American Folk Art Museum, November 16, 2004-August 23, 2009

American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 179, fig. 48

Normal wear on edges; paint and design in excellent condition.
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.

The love of ornament and bright color among many Pennsylvania Germans led to the decoration of even the most utilitarian forms within certain households. This early manufactured pantry box, or covered measure, was probably sold undecorated as part of a larger, graduated set intended for use in food storage and preparation. Graduated, nested sets of pantry and storage baskets and boxes, sized to gauge or register standard measurements of dry foodstuffs, were a popular addition to an efficient kitchen, and the increased availability brought on by their patented manufacture was undoubtedly a welcome convenience for domestic consumers. This small example's thinly sawn wooden side was formed from one piece of wood that was bent, planed feather thin on its ends, end-lapped, and glued together. The top and bottom edges of this side element were then fitted into rounded, shaped, and soldered sheet-tin foot and top-rim flanges, which, when secured, reinforced the glued side joinery and formed the framework to hold the flat, round wooden panels of the top and bottom of the finished container. The vibrant red, yellow, and black freehand-painted decoration on this small box may have been applied by its early owner. The technique shows a close tie in execution to the traditions of painted tinware. The bright red ground of this example was first applied over the entire surface of the box. Once it was dry, the confidently executed freehand, black and yellow abstract floral motifs were added using a soft, fine brush. Interestingly, the finely drawn, crosshatched line pattern applied to its top resembles the small-gauged, diagonally woven horsehair screens found on similarly constructed, round, wood-framed dry foodstuff sieves or sifters of the period. -J.L.L.