DELAWARE, OHIO — Garth’s 57th annual November 24 Thanksgiving auction was a treasure chest for American furniture enthusiasts, with a Massachusetts Chippendale block front chest on chest taking the top lot of the day with a $48,000 bid, including the buyer’s premium. The mahogany and pine secondary piece had provenance to Bernard and S. Dean Levy and came to sale from the Stone family of Massachusetts. Dedicated to a Boston or Salem cabinetmaker, circa 1765, the chest on chest featured a swan neck pediment that swung inward to carved rosettes around a flame finial.

The next highest lot was a Connecticut Queen Anne high chest that brought $31,200, including the premium. Circa 1760, the piece was by a New London County maker and featured a deeply grained maple front with pine secondary. In an article written by Gary Sullivan and Brock Jobe in The Magazine Antiques, May, 2009, the writers mentioned the high chest, noting similarities between the style of furniture being produced by New London County cabinetmakers and those by Elisha Cushing Jr in Hingham, Mass., positing that attributions can vary.

A complete review will appear in an upcoming issue.