Miniature chest of three drawers

1820-1840

Maker

Probably Janvier shop

Measurements

7-5/8 in x 9-3/4 in x 6-1/4 in

Materials

Mahogany, probably kingwood; white pine (all secondary woods)

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation

Accession Number

1975.31

Inscription

“Doll Clothes” is in pencil on the inside bottom of the middle drawer, and “47” in pencil is in the bottom center of each drawer cavity.

Condition Notes

The ball feet have been covered with a red pigmented paint; traces of black paint remain on the foot bottoms. Three small pieces of veneer from the case around the drawer cavities have been replaced.

Provenance

History of ownership in the Janvier family, ex coll. Miss Margaret Janvier Hort

Comments

The mahogany crotch veneers on the drawer fronts suggest a time of manufacture in the 19th century.  Saw-marks, specifically those left by circular saws, indicate a date after 1820.  More interesting than the figured veneers, however, are the thin veneer strips applied to the case edges around the drawers.  They are not mahogany, nor are they rosewood, a rarer hardwood that decorated some furniture from that time.  Instead, this wood may be kingwood, related to rosewood but exhibiting different color and grain patterns.

Bibliography

Zimmerman, A Storied Past, 108.