RARE SHAKER RED-STAINED PINE TALL CASE OF DRAWERS, WATERVLIET, NEW YORK, CIRCA 1840 |

Celeste and Edward Koster, Old Chatham, New York

Secondary wood white pine and poplar. Overall fine condition. Wear and losses to the painted surface, particularly to the edges, consistent with age and use. Few age cracks throughout. There are few minor losses to the molding of the drawer edges.
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 complex cornice molding and applied bracket base of this chest are characteristic of case pieces made in the Shaker community of Watervliet, New York. Originally known as Niskeyuna, this community became the second Shaker village organized in America in 1787 and, together with the Mount Lebanon and Groveland communities, formed the New York Bishopric. Based on surviving documented examples, Watervliet case pieces display several distinctive construction characteristics such as a raised stile on either side of pieces with cupboard doors, a complex cornice molding consisting of a quarter-round or ovolo in combination with a deep cove profile and an astragral, and an arched dovetailed bracket base. Retaining its original red stain, this chest displays the latter characteristics, with a particularly wide overhanging cornice and bracket base that unusually tall and broad.

A similar cupboard and base of drawers made in Watervliet in circa 1830 is in the collection of the New York State Museum in Albany.¹ It features a related cornice and bracket base, as well as identical turned knobs. Another example exhibiting these features acquired directly from the South Family Shaker, Waltervliet, in 1939 is illustrated in Community Industries of the Shakers: A New Look (Shaker Heritage Society, 1983): p. 18.

¹ See Timothy Rieman and Jean Burks, The Encyclopedia of Shaker Furniture (Atglen, PA Schiffer Publishing, 2003: fig. 293, p. 217.