High Chest of Drawers
Artist unknown
1760–75
Medium
Mahogany and white pine
Dimensions
217.2 × 102.8 × 50.8 cm (85 1/2 × 40 1/2 × 20 in.)
Classification
case furniture
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
102767
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This high chest is an excellent example of Newport’s stylistic interpretation of the high chest form and a testament to the genius of the Goddard-Townsend school of cabinetmaking. The applied, raised panels on the top of the façade work to harmoniously integrate the bonnet to the rest of the chest. The ornament is subdued, accentuating the form rather than fighting it. The pierced claws of the feet are a particular characteristic of 18th-century Newport cabinetry.