With our highest compliments Bay Colony Antiques takes the utmost pleasure in offering for sale one of the finest southern walnut boxes we have ever had the privilege of owning. Southern American furniture is among the rarest and most sought after within the entire scope of early American design as traditional craftsman were scarcer in the developing states and much of the southern cultural heritage was devastated during the American Civil War. Any collector with a serious passion for the subject should immerse themselves in the world class collection maintained at The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) as we always try to do whenever delivering through that region of the country. This particular box would find a good home there or within the walls of any institution devoted to the regional history and period as we can say with all confidence that these examples are so rare that only the lucky or well-traveled can ever hope to encounter one.
Queen Anne period walnut dovetailed blanket boxes are typically found in Pennsylvania, the mid-atlantic region, or less commonly throughout Virginia. The state of North Carolina became home to woodworkers and craftsmen who in large part immigrated from those states during the later years of the 18th century. With the influx of skilled craftsmen came the regional influences of their previous communities. The most distinctive feature this box possesses is the remarkable scrollwork design along the central bottom of the chest. The curved elements are intended to mirror the upper crown work of most corner cabinets and secretary desks of the area which are made with a broken arch pediment typically referred to as "goosenecks" by traditional cabinetmakers. In the tradition of North Carolinian furniture, it's more common to find these curved elements elongated and lower in overall height when compared to their Northern made counterparts. A secretary desk with similar stylizations along the top recently sold in North Carolina with the attribution of Noah Chaplain or his brother-in-law Zachariah Hiatt from the Guilford County or Davidson County regions. We cannot say with any firm designation who made this blanket box, but it has been our strong suspicion since taking ownership of this marvelous chest that it is closely associated with the Piedmont region of North Carolina. The chest measures 43 1/2" wide x 19" deep x 22 1/2" tall.
