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Photo: Courtesy Rhode Island Furniture Archive
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Chest of drawers

Object number

RIF5890

Maker

Maker Unknown

Dimensions

32 3/4 × 43 1/8 × 19 1/4 in. (83.19 × 109.54 × 48.9 cm)

Date

1780–1800

Current location

Private collection

Geography

Possibly made in Providence, Rhode Island
(view a map of Rhode Island)

Medium

Mahogany and mahogany veneer (primary); chestnut (drawer fronts and bottoms, glue blocks on drawer bottoms, and backboards); pine (drawer sides and backs, drawer dividers,and case sides and bottom)

Marks

None

Inscriptions

"1" through "4," in graphite, on exterior drawer backs [from bottom to top]

Provenance

By descent in the Dyer family

Associated names

Dyer family

Construction

The single-board top has a square, inlaid edge, straight sides, and a serpentine front. The single-board case sides are set into grooves in its underside. The case back consists of multiple horizontal boards, half-lapped together. The drawer dividers and bottom rail meet the case sides in blind joints; there is no top rail. Within the case are four graduated drawers with veneered fronts and cockbeaded surrounds applied with brads. The flat-topped, full-depth drawer sides are flush with their drawer fronts, which they meet in dovetail joints partially obscured by cockbeading. The single-board drawer bottoms, parallel to the front, are chamfered at the front and sides and set into grooves in the front, where they are accompanied by small glue blocks, and the sides, where they are accompanied by rectangular, horizontal glue blocks. They are nailed to the drawer backs above with brads. The drawers? rear corners are slightly chamfered. The drawers rest upon replaced supports screwed to the case sides and interspersed with vertical drawer stops. The top of the multiple-board case bottom is flush with the top of the bottom rail. The cove-molded base is deep and projects below the case bottom. The bottom rail is attached with large nails to the base molding. The feet consist of vertical carved and chamfered blocks applied directly to the base molding. Applied to the base molding and the tops of the vertical blocks are carved and chamfered horizontal blocks, the whole faced with slightly flaring ogee bracket feet. The rear feet are configured similarly, except for their back brackets, which are straight and of an ogee pattern simpler than the outside brackets. Examined by P.E. Kane and J.N. Johnson, November 19, 2013; notes compiled by T.B. Lloyd.