Found in the Collection: Standing High

Object: Chest of Drawers, c. 1740-1760

Accession #: 1909.0003

The Queen Anne period, according to one historian, was known for “its elegant simplicity achieved by beauty of the line.” This mahogany high chest in Wilton’s collection was made in Massachusetts and gives is an example of a piece from this period. Much of the population and wealth of New England was concentrated in eastern Massachussetts, in and around Boston, and northeastward along the coast through Salem, Marblehead, and Ipswich. The high chest of drawers was introduced from England into Boston in the 18th century.

This high chest of drawers has many distinct features that point toward Marblehead as its possible place of origin. According to one historian, “No town in colonial America capable of supporting a cadre of furniture craftsmen has been less appreciated than Marblehead, and no Massachusetts town has a higher percentage of surviving pieces signed by its known cabinetmakers.” This same historian brings out three distinct features of Marblehead high chests which are present in this one which stands in the master bedchamber of Wilton. An incised semicircle at the perimeter of the fans points to Marblehead. In addition, the drawer bottoms’ grain runs from front to back which is “indicator of Marblehead work prior to 1780.” The historian, writing about Marblehead high chests, continues by pointing out that “virtually every piece documented or attributed to Marblehead has either widely spaced double beading or a single bead on the inside edge, with the former appearing just over half the time.” This high chest in Wilton’s collection has double beading.

Though Wilton was constructed with eleven closets the Randolph family would have used chests of drawers for storage of household linens and clothing. Closets were used to the storing of household goods, not clothing, in the eighteenth-century. According to one historian, “the most commanding piece of furniture in a colonial American home was the high chest of drawers" testament to the owners taste and wealth. Not only could you afford such an elegant piece of furniture, but you had the wherewithal to fill its many drawers with costly garments and textiles.

This particular high chest of drawers was donated to the Wilton collection by Jessie Dew Ball du Pont whose generosity continues to live on through the Jessie Ball du Pont Religious, Charitable and Educational Fund established in her will.