Lot 1069
  • 1069

Very Fine and Rare Federal Inlaid and Figured Mahogany, Maple and Birchwood Bow-Front Chest of Drawers, Joshua Moody Cumston (1784-1835) and David Buckminster (1789-1849), Saco, Maine, Circa 1809-1816

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description

  • mahogany, maple and birchwood
  • Height 37 1/4 in. by Width 40 1/4 in. by Depth 22 1/4 in.
appears to retain its original stamped and cast brass hardware marked HJ for Thomas Hand and William Jenkins of Birmingham, England.

Condition

Secondary wood: white pine For further information please contact the Americana Department at americana@sothebys.com or by phone at 212-606-7130.
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.

Catalogue Note

With its brilliant crotch birchwood veneer framed with figured rosewood this chest is very similar to several bow-front chests made by Joshua Moody Cumston (1784-1835) and David Buckminster (1789-1849) who worked together in Saco, Maine between 1809 and 1816.  Similar chest were crafted in Portsmouth, New Hampshire This chest can be attributed to Saco, Maine due to the absence of spurred French feet and that the base string inlay does not goes straight across the skirt. Rather it stops at the drop panel in the skirt.  Portsmouth chests do not share these features. For additional information see Thomas Hardiman Jr., "Veneered furniture of Cumston and Buckminster, Saco, Maine", Magazine Antiques, 159: 5 (May 2001) 754-61 and Brock Jobe, Portsmouth Furniture: Masterworks from the New Hampshire Seacoast, (Boston: Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, 1993), p. 114-5, no. 11 and 11A.