Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
BR978.23.1 |
Object Name |
Chest of Drawers |
Description |
An American style chest with six drawers. It was made by a continental cabinet maker, most likely of German origin. The chest is veneered in cherry wood, the foundation of the piece is made of pine. There are three smaller drawers across the top row, with one wooden handle on each. Beneath are three full-length drawers with two wooden handles on each and dovetailing within. There is a protruding edge and a wooden rod below the top row that extends across the front and the sides to emphasize the overhang. The overhanging top has edges that correspond to the pattern of the middle overhang. Six key holes are surrounded by wood inlay or ivory (on the bottom drawer). Rectangular pilasters are along the outer edges of the front and sides, which form a zig-zag pattern at the corners. Strings of inlay are on the drawers and pilasters. Bracket feet cut off directly from the sides. Parts of the piece are put together using 'glue boxes'. |
Year Range from |
1830 |
Year Range to |
1835 |
Artist |
Watts, Issac |
Dimensions |
H-131.5 W-59 L-134 cm |
History |
The chest is from Peel County, Ontario, and was made by Isaac Watts, who settled at Dundas Street and Cawthra Road in the nineteenth-century. He is buried at the Dixie Union Cemetery and is the great great grandfather of the donor. The modern looking dressers we see today date back to the 17th where a "chest" was entirely made of drawers usually three long ones of varying depth, topped by two shorts ones side by side. Early chests of drawers were mounted on bun or ball feet or on stands with legs joined by stretchers. A heavier version, with corner pilasters (partially projecting columns), was introduced during the Regency period, and turned wooden handles returned to favour in the Victorian period. Today, dressers are mostly used for storing clothing or other personal items. ref: https://mbwfurniture.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/history-of-furniture-chest-of-drawers/ https://www.britannica.com/topic/chest-of-drawers |
People |
Watts, Issac |