Chest of drawers

The Symonds Shop

1675–1700 · Red oak, walnut, cedar, maple, white pine · The American Wing

By the 1670s, the chest-of-drawers form, first made in Boston, had spread to neighboring Massachusetts port towns. Within the architectural framework of this chest, this is an intricate play of geometric shapes created by applied mitered moldings that oppose and echo one another. Such complexly patterned surface decoration links a group of furniture with histories of ownership in Salem.

Artist

The Symonds Shop

Date

1675–1700

Medium

Red oak, walnut, cedar, maple, white pine

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Russell Sage, 1909