Nathan Liverant and Son LLC

Chippendale Mahogany Chest of Drawers - Price Upon Request

Chippendale mahogany chest of drawers featuring a rare diminutive size, a gadrooned apron and ball and claw feet.
New York City, New York, 1775-1800.
Mahogany with Eastern white pine and tulip poplar secondary wood.

Dimensions:  height - 32 1/2”, width of top - 35 1/2”, depth of top - 21 7/8”

Provenance:  This fine diminutive Chippendale chest of drawers features design and construction supporting an origin in New York City in the third quarter of the 18th century.  A closely related Chippendale mahogany chest of drawers is illustrated in “New York Furniture at the New York State Museum” by John L. Scherer, figure 11, page 13.  Both chests share the same close cropped top, featuring a thumb molded edge, four well graduated drawers, gadrooned carved apron and four ball and claw carved feet with shaped returns.  Both also share the use of mahogany primary wood and tulip poplar secondary wood.  According to the author, the illustrated chest features a recognizable New York design:  “Typical New York-style gadrooning is found on the skirt.  The chest is supported by four short cabriole legs ending in square knuckled claw-and-ball feet.”  The distinctive base design is also found on a Chippendale desk inscribed by the maker, Francis Moore of New York City, Figure 12, page 14 and 15.  The author describes the balance of high quality mahogany with 
relatively simple, clean lines used in New York City furniture:  “The broad grain of Santo Domingo mahogany adds a striking effect to this New York desk.  Case furniture in colonial New York only rarely was shaped into bombe, block-front, and serpentine lines which were used so frequently by New England cabinetmakers.  Straight lines and simple interiors were the rules for desks and chests of drawers.  Generally, this was compensated for by a bold gadrooned edge carved along the base.  Other New York characteristics are its square claw-and-ball foot…”