High Chest of Drawers

Description

This high chest is an excellent example of Newport’s stylistic interpretation of the high chest form and a testament to the genius of the Goddard-Townsend school of cabinetmaking. The applied, raised panels on the top of the façade work to harmoniously integrate the bonnet to the rest of the chest. The ornament is subdued, accentuating the form rather than fighting it. The pierced claws of the feet are a particular characteristic of 18th-century Newport cabinetry.

Provenance

William McCormick Blair, Lake Bluff, Ill., by 1984; bequested to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1984.

High Chest of Drawers

Artist unknown

1760–75

Accession Number

102767

Medium

Mahogany and white pine

Dimensions

217.2 × 102.8 × 50.8 cm (85 1/2 × 40 1/2 × 20 in.)

Classification

case furniture

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Bequest of William McCormick Blair Estate