Bay Colony Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this exceptional 19th century antique Hepplewhite Poplar blanket box. Poplar is one of the most prevalent US timbers and is really an important tree to the US economy and daily life. Poplar is fast growing and of a medium density but is structurally very strong. Poplar was commonly used in cabinet making, especially along the middle-southeastern coast. The wood was used as a primary wood in country furniture and in a formal cabinet shop would only be used as a secondary wood. Poplar can take on a wide array of hues ranging from a rich green to a pale blue grey. Due to Poplars light color and fast growth it’s especially vulnerable to absorbing mineral deposits from the surrounding land. These mineral deposits make their way into the heartwood and creates what we refer to as “mineral staining". If you think of a giant Poplar trunk as a pencil, the heartwood would be the innermost section (the graphite) and the pencil wood would be the outer sapwood. The Poplar is beautifully showcased on the box and adds a bit of whimsy and tons of character to the chest.
The box has two simulated drawer faces at the top with two useable drawers below. The drawers are fitted with tasteful oval brasses and decorative escutcheon covers even though this box never accepted locks. The sides are single planks with the same mineral streaks but are much less noticeable under the stain. The heartwood is perfectly lined up to create a nice visual effect that’s also present on the inner baseboard. The lower drawer transition is dovetailed into the case and the drawers are constructed with hand cut dovetails and hand chamfered panels. The chest is in fantastic condition with our only notes being the chest was refinished some time ago and the drawer bottoms were reinforced with drywall screws. The chest measures 42 1/4” wide (41” at base) x 18 1/2” deep (17 1/2” at base) x 41 1/2” tall. The interior cavity has useable dimensions of 39 1/4” wide x 15 3/4” deep x 15 3/4” tall. When the lid is fully open the height is 59” tall.
