AN EXCEPTIONAL AND EXTREMELY RARE PILGRIM CENTURY RED-PAINTED AND COMPASS- AND PUNCH-DECORATED PINE SIX-BOARD CHEST WITH TWO DRAWERS, SCITUATE, PLYMOUTH COLONY, MASSACHUSETTS, CIRCA 1690 |

appears to retain its original red paint and cast brass hardware, initialed MT on the front panel, bears an exhibition label on the interior for the Harvard Tercentenary Exhibition of 1936 and bears exhibition number 226, accession number written in red on the backboard 330.28. The drawers on this chest are locked by means of a wooden bolt that was slid down a channel that engaged into a keeper behind each drawer front.

Chauncey Nash, Boston, Massachusetts;
O'Reilly's Plaza Art Galleries, Inc., November 22, 1952, sale 3329, lot 402;
Sotheby's New York, Important Americana From the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James O. Keene, January 16, 1997, sale 6954, lot 35;
Bernard & S. Dean Levy, New York, January 1997;
Vogel Collection no. 619.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University, Harvard Tercentenary Exhibition: Catalogue of Furniture, Silver, Pewter, Glass, Ceramics, Paintings, Prints, together with Allied Arts and Crafts of the Period 1636-1836, July 25-September 21, 1936, cat. no. 226;
Detroit, Michigan, Detroit Institute of Arts, American Folk Arts from the Collection of Rugth and James O. Keene, March 1-26, 1960, cat. no. 3;
Detroit, Michigan, Detroit Institute of Arts, American Decorative Arts from the Pilgrims to the Revolution, January 18-March 5, 1967, cat. no. 37, illus. p. 24.

Paul L. Grigaut, "A Michigan Collection," Magazine Antiques, vol. 66, no. 4, October 1954, p. 291.

In overall very fine condition. Wear, discoloration and losses commensurate with age and use. The lock mechanisms have been removed. There are a few old age cracks throughout. The hinges are replaced, and there is evidence that there was once iron bracket hinges, as associated patches appear at the top of the backboard and along the back edge of the underside of the top.
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.

This remarkable chest is one of a group of four known related examples. One is in the collection of Shelburne Museum (acc. no. 3.4-19), another is in the Jones River Village Historical Society, Bradford House, Kingston, Massachusetts, and the third is in a private collection. All have the characteristic Plymouth County serrated edge molding used on joined oak chests from the region. This chest survives in remarkable nearly untouched condition. It retains the original black and vermilion paint that was used to further decorate the chest’s façade and to complement the serrated moldings and compass decoration.  This group of chests has been attributed to Joseph Tilden (1657-1712) due to the descent of a related chest through the Tilden family, now in the Scituate Historical Society (see Robert Blair St. George, The Wrought Covenant: Source Material for the Study of Craftsmen and Community in Southeastern New England, 1620-1700, (Brockton, MA: Brockton Art Center-Fuller Memorial, 1979),  p. 40, no. 24). The currently offered lot is carved with the initials MT.  Possible candidates for the original owner are Mary Tilden (1668-1740), who married James Thomas (b. 1663) in 1692, or Mercy Tilden (1674–1745), who married Benjamin Stockbridge (1677–1725) in 1701.  A miniature six-board chest in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (acc. no. 1981.364) also has the characteristic serrated carving on its lid and related scratch decoration on its façade. For additional information on this group of chests see Brian Cullity, A Cubberd, Four Joyne Stools & Other Smalle Things: The Material Culture of Plymouth Colony (Sandwich, MA: Heritage Plantation, 1994), pp. 113-4, 147-9, nos. 155,156 (note images reversed)