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Photo: Courtesy Rhode Island Furniture Archive
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Board chest

Object number

RIF5984

Maker

Maker Unknown

Dimensions

22 1/4 × 47 1/2 × 18 3/4 in. (56.52 × 120.65 × 47.63 cm)

Date

1680–1700

Current location

Private collection

Geography

Probably made in Westerly, Rhode Island
(view a map of Rhode Island)

Medium

Yellow pine

Marks

None

Inscriptions

None

Style

vernacular style

Provenance

Joseph Thomas Saunders (1833–1912), Westerly, Rhode Island; by descent to current owner

Associated names

Joseph Thomas Saunders

Construction

The oblong, single-board lid has a thumb-molded, quarter round edge. Nailed to each short end of its underside with rosehead nails is a transverse cleat with ogee-shaped front ends. The top is joined to the case by wrought iron snipe hinges. The single-board case sides are slightly chamfered on their interior where they fit into a rabbet in the neighboring side. The corner joints are secured by rosehead nails driven through the outside face of the rabbeted side. In the upper, proper left corner of the interior is a till consisting of bottom, front and hinged top boards set into grooves in the chest walls. Fixed to the outside of the short walls with rosehead nails are carved wood carrying handles once fitted with rope pulls. Examined by P.E. Kane and J.N. Johnson, April 16, 2014; notes compiled by T.B. Lloyd.

Notes

The chest's red paint is probably original.