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Lot Essay
With its accomplished craftsmanship, original brasses and early family history, this chest-of-drawers is an exceptional survival of the block-front form popular in New England in the mid-to-late eighteenth-century. Its elegant and refined form is reflective of the pieces made in Boston at this time. Its straight bracket feet, compact, yet dynamic proportions and strong overhang are typical to Boston-made block-front chest of drawers and effectively produce an appealing and sophisticated piece. For similar examples, see Joseph Downs, American Furniture : Queen Anne and Chippendale Periods in the Henry Francis DuPont Winterthur Museum (New York, 1952), nos. 167-168, illustrated, and Israel Sack, Inc., American Antiques from the Israel Sack Collection (Washington, D.C., 1957–89), vol. 1, p. 7, no. 20A.
Per the letter and inscription found on the chest, the first owners of this chest were possibly Moses (1752-1846) and Mary Sherman (b. 1758) of Worcester, Massachusetts. The inscription on the side of its drawer may suggest that it was given to their firstborn child and daughter Elizabeth 'Betsey' (1777-1848) as a wedding gift upon her marriage to Thomas Marshall Baker (1777-1850) in 1798. Together, they had four children.
Per the letter and inscription found on the chest, the first owners of this chest were possibly Moses (1752-1846) and Mary Sherman (b. 1758) of Worcester, Massachusetts. The inscription on the side of its drawer may suggest that it was given to their firstborn child and daughter Elizabeth 'Betsey' (1777-1848) as a wedding gift upon her marriage to Thomas Marshall Baker (1777-1850) in 1798. Together, they had four children.