Lot Essay
This superb high chest-of-drawers possesses the best elements associated with the Philadelphia rococo style: a well proportioned case with canted engaged quarter columns, boldly carved naturalistic embellishments including its original cartouche and finials, all made from highly figured mahogany.
The ornamental carving on this highchest is attributed to the as yet unidentified craftsman known as the "Garvan carver". The characteristics of this artisan's work have been identified and defined by Luke Beckerdite and Alan Miller. A highchest in the Garvan Collection at Yale University, whose carving is the examplar by which this body of work has been identified, is illustrated and discussed in Ward, American Case Furniture In the Mabel Brady Garvan and Related Collection at Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut, 1988) No. 147. A second example, with a nearly identical cabochon and scored leaf pendant, now in the Fine Arts Collection of the U.S. Department of State is illustrated and discussed in Conger, Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. State of Department (New York, 1991)cat. no. 85, pp. 172-3. The matching dressing table to this highchest is now in a private collection.
Other similar examples include one in the collection of the Winterthur Museum, illustrated and discussed in Downs, American Furniture: The Queen Anne and Chippendale Periods in the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, (New York, 1952) catalogue no. 197; an example now in the collection of the New-York Historical Society is illustrated in Comstock, American Furniture (Exton, Pa., 1962) fig. 310. A chest- on-chest with ornamentation also by this carver was sold in these Rooms as part of the Contents of the Lindens, January 22, 1983, lot 342.
The ornamental carving on this highchest is attributed to the as yet unidentified craftsman known as the "Garvan carver". The characteristics of this artisan's work have been identified and defined by Luke Beckerdite and Alan Miller. A highchest in the Garvan Collection at Yale University, whose carving is the examplar by which this body of work has been identified, is illustrated and discussed in Ward, American Case Furniture In the Mabel Brady Garvan and Related Collection at Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut, 1988) No. 147. A second example, with a nearly identical cabochon and scored leaf pendant, now in the Fine Arts Collection of the U.S. Department of State is illustrated and discussed in Conger, Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. State of Department (New York, 1991)cat. no. 85, pp. 172-3. The matching dressing table to this highchest is now in a private collection.
Other similar examples include one in the collection of the Winterthur Museum, illustrated and discussed in Downs, American Furniture: The Queen Anne and Chippendale Periods in the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, (New York, 1952) catalogue no. 197; an example now in the collection of the New-York Historical Society is illustrated in Comstock, American Furniture (Exton, Pa., 1962) fig. 310. A chest- on-chest with ornamentation also by this carver was sold in these Rooms as part of the Contents of the Lindens, January 22, 1983, lot 342.