AN IMPORTANT PILGRIM CENTURY RED-PAINTED CARVED OAK AND PINE DOCUMENT BOX, SERRATE FOLIATE GROUP, ATTRIBUTED TO THE STOUGHTON SHOP TRADITION, PROBABLY BY THOMAS STOUGHTON IV (1662-1748), WINDSOR, CONNECTICUT, CIRCA 1680 |

appears to retain its original red paint and wrought iron gimmal hinges, lock, and key; (2 pieces).

Dr. George L. Compton, Independence, Indiana, August 1997;
Vogel Collection no. 624.

The Woodworkers of Windsor: A Connecticut Community of Craftsmen and Their Work, 1635-1715, April 25-August 18, 2003, Historic Deerfield, Inc., Deerfield, Massachusetts.

Joshua W. Lane and Donald P. White III, The Woodworkers of Windsor: A Connecticut Community of Craftsmen and Their Work, 1635-1715, (Deerfield, Massachusetts: Historic Deerfield, Inc., 2003), p. 64, no. 26.

Original everything including the key. Exceptional untouched condition. Minor wear commensurate with age and use. Age split to the proper back right corner of the lid, from the corner through the hinge. Together with a key.
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 maker of this remarkable box, with its beautifully executed flower carving and gouge work, was unknown until the groundbreaking research of Joshua Lane and Donald White who conclusively proved that the maker was Thomas Stoughton IV (1662-1748).  Stoughton was a descendant of Reverend Thomas Stoughton (1557-1612) of County Suffolk, England. His grandfather, Thomas Stoughton, Jr. (1591-1661), immigrated to Dorchester, Massachusetts about 1632 and then received a land grant in Windsor of over 150 acres.  His son Thomas Stoughton III (1657-1712) became a prominent woodworker in Windsor, which his son Thomas Stoughton IV followed. This box is all the more extraordinary for remaining in such pristine condition.  The red paint appears to be original and the carving has experienced little wear from the ravages of time.  As such, the punch and gouge decorations on the corners of the box remain crisp and visible. The box’s top is made from one large piece of yellow pine and, as the saw kerfs evident on its corners indicate, its raised field was formed using a simple hand saw. The box even retains its original lock and key.

The carving relates quite closely to that found on the front panels of two joined chests. One in the collection of the Henry Ford Museum (acc. no. 36.250.1) and the other in the George Dudley Seymour collection (acc. no. 1945.1.1170) at the Connecticut Historical Society-see Robert Bishop, American Furniture: 1620-1720, (Dearborn, MI: Edison Institute, 1975, p. 12 and George Dudley Seymour's Furniture Collection in the Connecticut Historical Society, (Hartford, CT: Connecticut Historical Society, 1958), no. 20).  Another related box was once in the collection of the Connecticut Historical Society and was once part of the George Dudley Seymour collection (George Dudley Seymour Furniture Collection in the Connecticut Historical Society, (Hartford, CT: Connecticut Historical Society, 1958), no. 6).  For additional information on the Stoughton shop tradition see Joshua W. Lane and Donald P. White III, “Fashioning Furniture and Framing Community: Woodworkers and the Rise of a Connecticut River Valley Town,” American Furniture 2005, (Milwaukee, WI: Chipstone Foundation, 2005), pp. 146-238 and Joshua W. Lane and Donald P. White III, The Woodworkers of Windsor: A Connecticut Community of Craftsmen and Their Work, 1635-1715, (Deerfield, Massachusetts: Historic Deerfield, Inc., 2003), pp. 57-68.