Lot Essay
With its reverse-serpentine case front with straight-sided edges, ogee bracket feet and shaped knee returns, this chest of drawers represents the exuberant style employed in Boston during the latter half of the eighteenth century. The reverse-serpentine case form is reminiscent of the rococo elements of earlier French furniture. With its straight-sided edges, the design of this reverse-serpentine facade is a direct derivation of the popular block-front facade conceived and utilized primarily in Boston. Furthermore, construction details exhibited on this chest illustrate standard Boston case construction, such as the large dovetail joining the bottom board to the case and the sliding dovetails joining the top to the case sides. A closely related reverse-serpentine chest-of-drawers sold in these Rooms, October 21, 1994, lot, 154. Another related chest in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is illustrated in Richard Randall, Jr., American Furniture in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (Boston, 1965) p. 36-37, no. 29.