Chest of drawers

Produced at a time when most case pieces were simple chests or chests with a drawer or two below, this object-perhaps the earliest example of Boston furniture in the Museum's collection-is a full-fledged chest of drawers, an innovative form rarely made in America before 1690.  This unusual form makes use of exotic tropical hardwoods in its construction and decoration: a type of ebony was employed for the turned spindles in the upper case, and cedrela (Cedrela odorata), along with black walnut, was used for the façade and sides of both the upper and lower cases.  The use of imported woods from faraway locales reflects the impact of the English joinery tradition on American work, as well as the participation of Boston's craftsmen in an international world of trade and commerce as early as the mid-seventeenth century. The Museum's chest of drawers is among a small group of London-style Boston furniture attributed to the combined shop traditions of Ralph Mason, Henry Messinger, and Thomas Edsall.This text was adapted from Ward, et al., MFA Highlights: American Decorative Arts & Sculpture (Boston, 2006) available at www.mfashop.com/mfa-publications.html.

Perhaps the earliest example of Boston furniture in the Museum's collection, this is a full-fledged chest of drawers, an innovative form rarely made in America before 1690. Exotic tropical hardwoods in its construction and decoration include ebony for the turned spindles in the upper case and cedrela (and local black walnut) for the facade and sides of the upper and lower cases. The use of woods imported from far away reflects the participation of Boston's craftsmen in international trade as early as the mid-seventeenth century.