High chest of drawers

Unlike thick, wide, seventeenth-century joined furniture, this high chest features dovetailed-board construction and is vertical in orientation. It is supported and raised from the floor by its six elegantly turned legs and feet, which are connected and strengthened by stretchers that echo the shape of the lower case's skirt. The drawers are veneered with a maple burl surrounded by a double band of walnut veneer laid in a herringbone pattern. The swirling burl veneers give the piece an exciting, visually active appearance, in keeping with the interest in optical effects of the new Baroque style of the early eighteenth century.High chests, usually produced en suite with a dressing table, were designed for the storage of clothing and textiles in bedchambers, and their flat tops-sometimes fitted with a series of "steps"-were suitable for the display of small and valuable objects. High-style examples were made in the urban centers of Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. The Museum's high chest has a number of characteristics associated with Massachusetts work, including the contiguous arrangement of the drawers in the lower case and the use of native New England woods.This text was adapted from Ward, et al., MFA Highlights: American Decorative Arts & Sculpture (Boston, 2006) available at www.mfashop.com/mfa-publications.html.

The introduction of the Baroque style coincided with the more widespread use of such cabinetmaking techniques as the dovetail joint, named for its angled shape. Small yet strong, dovetail joints allowed craftsmen to use thinner and lighter wood to create taller and more elegant storage furniture. Earlier mortise-and-tenon joints (formed by an interlocking tongue and groove) required thicker and stronger boards, resulting in weighty, horizontally oriented pieces. This chest highlights the possibilities offered by the dovetail joint: its large, visually heavy top section is actually a veneered, lightweight pine case (held together by dovetail joints), which seems to perch precariously on slim, turned legs.