Chippendale high chest, mahogany, ornately carved, Phila-inspired Rococo style. Top section has scrolled broken arch pediment with central cartouche (attrib. to Phila carver, Martin Jugiez) and fully relief-carved vine tympanum, leading down to large central drawer w/ large carved shell & surrounding vines. Two small drawers flank center drawer, under which are 4 full-length, graduated drawers with original Chinoiserie brasses. Fluted corner columns on upper case; vine & leaf-carved corner columns on lower case.
Lower chest has top full-length drawer over 3 small drawers that mirror the 3 drawers at top. Again, the center drawer is fully carved. Below drawers is a fully vine-carved skirt w/ shaped bottom. Has 4 carved fully articulated cabriole legs w/ acanthus knees and ball and claw feet and original brass casters.
Original owner Matthias Slough was a colonel in the Rev. War, a superintendent of the Philadelphia to Lancaster Turnpike, a county coroner and treasurer, and tavernkeeper of the White Swan. Buried in St. James Episcopal Cemetery.
Made by unknown Lancaster Borough workshop.
Provenance
Original owner believed to be Mathias Slough, based on a 1934 letter from Ethel Torrington Davis to Mr.(James?) McCormick. Ms. Davis states her mother received story from her mother Mrs. Beatty. Mathias Slough married Mary Gibson and had three daughters. The oral tradition is that each daughter was given a high chest. These chests then descended in the family, one of which descended through the mother of Ethel T. Davis to James McCormick (in payment of an outstanding debt). This info researched by John J. Snyder.
From a July 1975 letter, donor George J. Finney recalls the highboy in the home of James McCormick of Hbg, his grandfather. After his death in 1917, it stayed with the house & his son Donald McCormick until his death in 1945. It was then put up for sale at auction of household good but failed to sell due to price not meeting expectations of executors. Donor learned of this, and in 1946 he offered to buy it for $2,500 and the estate accepted. Donor has owned highboy since 1946. Upon the death of the donor, it was bequeathed from his estate.
Multiple repairs (e.g. pieced out around drawers); refinished; some losses, most noticeable in some cartouche elements and leaves of rosettes. Finials missing the ball at mid section. Cosmetic conservation done by Cory Berrett April 1992.
Repairs made 12-2-09 by Winterthur conservator in consultation with curator Wendy Cooper (see conservation report in file). Major changes: broken off rosette leaf tips replaced; missing finial balls and top plates of plinths replaced.
Object ID
G.92.06
Notes
John Snyder states that mahogany is unusual for Lancaster Co. high-style pieces. Secondary woods are poplar and pine.
He notes six or fewer high chests of this Lancaster County Chippendale design are known to exist, and that of these six, "this piece is unquestionably the finest example." (Based on artistic evaluation, condition and provenance. Of these other chests, 2 are in private collections, one is in the State Department collection at Yale University, and the others' whereabouts are currently unknown.
Snyder says this high chest is closely related structurally to the famous Chippendale desk and bookcase acquired by the Winterthur Museum from the Withers family, living near Strasburg, Lancaster Co.
OBITUARY
May 14, 2009 FRANCES DAVIS HASSINGER EVERHART, of Lower Allen Township, Mechanicsburg, PA, passed away Thursday, May 14, 2009, in Bethany Village, Mechanicsburg. Frances was born March 1, 1916, in Harrisburg, PA, the daughter of CARL W. AND ETHEL TORRINGTON DAVIS. She was a 1938 graduate of Vassar Co...
Matthias Slough (1733-1812) was the tavernkeeper of the White Swan. The high chest was made at an unknown Lancaster Boro workshop, except for the carved cartouche of Philadelphia.
Place of Origin
Lancaster
Credit
Heritage Center Collection, bequest of George J. Finney Estate
Commonly known as a lamp stand due to its principle use; its four legs made it safer than the earlier candle stands. This mahogany table top is nearly square and of a plain design. The skirt is three inches deep and contains a single drawer that is almost the full width of the skirt. The extant pull is a reproduction; the original would have been plain with a small brass knob. The table is supported by four tapered legs with a ring turning at the top of each and a raised band six inches above the end of each leg.
A Federal era washstand with a top and lower shelf. Top shelf has a centered opening to support a wash basin with two square pockets at the back corners to store a bar of soap and/or a shaving mug. The wood splash back is three sided and scroll cut with a raised back; the sides slope down to rounded shoulders at the front skirt that has bead trim both top and bottom. The top shelf surmounts four square blocks that transition to double ring and ball turned uprights. The lower shelf is mounted 18.5" below the top shelf with a full width drawer on its skirt with a wooden mushroom-shaped drawer pull in the center and double-bead trim at the bottom. The lower shelf surmounts four square blocks that transition to double ring and ball turned legs that terminate on peg feet.
Shaving Stand: Long rectangular drawer at center flanked by two sets of drawers. Top side drawers are rectangular, bottom side drawers are larger than top. Ball feet with right-turned legs, four legs in front and two in back. Inlaid lighter wood outlinin
Provenance
Sold to the James Buchanan Foundation by an unknown dealer in Lancaster, PA
Walnut single-drawer tavern table. Removable three-plank top. Dovetailed drawer. Mortise and tenoned joints throughout the rest of the table. Turned and planed square legs terminating in bun feet. Full stretcher base.
A night commode chair that has a four-slat back crest with a Windsor arrow design at the lower back of the chair. The high back chair has turned legs, which are braced by ring-turned box stretchers. The seat has a hole cut out at its center with a separate wood lid with a wrought-iron handle fixed by two screws. The underside of the seat no longer has rabbets to support its zinc or lead chamberpot.
Windsor-back rocking chair. The comb-shaped crest has gold painted trim and hand-painted floral, fruit and nut designs. The slab seat also has a hand-painted gilt outline. The two front legs have gilded turnings along with the front stretcher. The two back legs are canted into the rockers and are plain and round with a thin round plain stretcher. Dark wood. Six thin back rails.
Shaving stand is comprised of a mahogany veneer; the mirror attached to the top has a veneered bull-nose frame supported by ring and vase-turned stiles set into the top with tenons at a backward cant. The skirt has two half-drawers; however, the brass knob drawer-pulls are missing. The stand is supported by four ring and ball turned feet