The Palmer-Franklin Chippendale Mahogany Bonnet-Top High Chest of Drawers, carving possibly by Samuel Harding, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa 1755

Henry Saylor, “The Best Twelve Country Houses in America: Westomere, The Home of George S. Palmer at New London, CT,” Country Life in America (January 1916): p. 28

Wallace Nutting, Furniture Treasury, New York, 1928, no. 362

Israel Sack, The Israel Sack Collections of American Antiques, 1928

Albert Sack, Israel Sack: A Record of Service, 1903-1953, 1953, p. 29

Israel Sack, Inc., American Antiques from Israel Sack Collection, Vol. VII, Washington, DC, 1983, pp. 1936-7, no. P5203

Surviving with its original cartouche and flame finials, this high chest is an important early example of its Philadelphia case form notable for its remarkable condition, exuberant carved decoration, use of highly figured mahogany, and fine proportions. Its early history is unknown until it was in the collection of George S. Palmer, an antiques collector and principal in Palmer Brothers, manufacturers of bed linens and cotton goods. This chest stood in the guest room of his home, Westomere, in New London, Connecticut, which was designed by Charles A. Platt in c. 1908. It appears illustrated by Henry Saylor in “The Best Twelve Country Houses in America: Westomere, The Home of George S. Palmer at New London, CT,” Country Life in America (January 1916): p. 28. This chest was sold as part of George Palmer’s collection at Anderson Galleries in October 18-19, 1928, sale 2280, lot 284. Israel Sack, Inc. purchased it at the sale and subsequently sold to the collectors, Dr. and Mrs. Ray Franklin of New York. It was later repurchased by Israel Sack, Inc. and sold to the Wolfs in 1982.

The exceptional carving is possibly attributed to Samuel Harding (working by 1751-died 1758), one of the most important and influential carvers working in Philadelphia during the first half of the 18^th century. This attribution is based upon shared similarities of the carving with architectural carving in the Pennsylvania State House supplied by Harding’s shop between January 29, 1753 and January 7, 1757 and documented by a bill of sale in the amount of £195.13.11.¹ The Philadelphia carver Brian Wilkinson (1718-1794) also provided carving for the Pennsylvania State House for which he submitted an account totaling £85.8.10 on August 20, 1756. These two carvers are the focus of research conducted by Luke Beckerdite and published in “Brian Wilkinson, Samuel Harding and Philadelphia Carving in the Early Georgian Style,” American Furniture 2020 (Hanover and London: The Chipstone Foundation, 2020): pp. 120-159. Beckerdite notes in his article that much of the surviving furniture and architectural carving executed in Philadelphia from the 1740s to the late 1750s is either from the Wilkinson and Harding shops or influenced by them.²

Harding’s carving for the Pennsylvania State House was installed in the interior of the stair tower, Assembly room, hall, and exterior of the building. He also executed carving for furniture for several Philadelphia cabinetmakers, including George Claypoole. Between May 19, 1755 and February 22, 1757, he is documented as providing George Claypoole with furniture components such as rosettes, flame finials, relief carved shells with leaf appliques, sets of legs for pillar-and-claw tea tables, and claw feet.³ Beckerdite has identified the following characteristics of Harding’s leaf carving on the stair friezes, appliques and lower trusses of the Pennsylvania State House: leaves with long, slender lobes terminating in pointed tips, occasionally articulated with short parallel shading cuts; larger leaflets with convex centers and a raised central spine; and smaller leaflets and the larger examples that flip over with concave centers and lobes.⁴ This high chest displays leaf carving with the aforementioned characteristics. It also has urn-and-flame finials by the same hand and in the same location as those on other case pieces attributed to Harding. These include on a desk-and-bookcase at Chipstone that sold at Sotheby’s, The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland, January 19, 2002, sale 7757, lot 43;⁵ a desk-and-bookcase in a private collection that sold at Sotheby’s, Important Americana, January 21-22, 2000, sale 7420, lot 706 as the property of the Kenmore Collection;⁶ a desk-and-bookcase at the Philadelphia Museum of Art;⁷ and a high chest of drawers owned by James Kilvington Antiques.⁸ The large sunflower centered in the tympanum of the high chest offered here is a favored motif by Harding that appears as rosettes on the desk-and—bookcases mentioned above. In particular, the desk in a private collection formerly in the Kenmore Collection has sunflower rosettes with unusual centers articulated in the same manner.⁹ The desk-and-bookcase at Chipstone retains the only cartouche known by Harding.¹⁰ It is stylistically similar to the cartouche on the present high chest in its leaf- and C-scroll carving as well as its orientation.

¹ See Luke Beckerdite, “Brian Wilkinson, Samuel Harding and Philadelphia Carving in the Early Georgian Style,” American Furniture 2020 (Hanover and London: The Chipstone Foundation, 2020): pp. 126-129.

² Ibid, p. 122.

³ See bill of sale illustrated in ibid, fig. 55, p. 150.

⁴ Ibid, p. 136.

⁵ See ibid, figs. 56-57, pp. 151-152.

⁶ See ibid, figs. 58-59, p. 153.

⁷ See ibid, figs. 60-61, p. 154.

⁸ See ibid, figs. 64-65, p. 156.

⁹ See ibid, fig. 59, p. 153.

¹⁰ See ibid, fig. 57, p. 152.