THE CUTTING FAMILY EXCEPTIONAL FEDERAL POLYCHROME GRAIN PAINT-DECORATED PINE TWO-DRAWER BLANKET CHEST, SOUTH SHAFTSBURY, VERMONT, CIRCA 1820 |

appears to retain its original hand-blown glass knobs; inside of lid inscribed in graphite This was the property of Nioma Cutting and given to Florence Cutting who gave it to her brother Charles and wife, probably has been in existence since before 1800, Whittingham, Vermont.

The Cutting Family, Whittingham, Vermont;
Mr. Robert Ellison, New York;
Gerald Kornblau American Folk Art, New York.

Dean A. Fales, Jr., American Painted Furniture 1660-1880, (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1973), p. 233, no. 397.

Proper left rear leg cracked and reglued with a 2 1/4 inch patch approximately 15 inches from floor. Proper left edge of top moveable drawer with left beaded edge with minor inpainting. Same drawer with five quarter-sized areas of inpainting. Front edge corner of top with minor inpainting. Top left front section of top with a 6 inch by 3 inch damage to varnish but not believed to be inpainting. Proper right front foot facing cracked and bottom 3 1/2 inches repainted. Very minor touch up to paint throughout case. Paint is in extraordinary condition with very vibrant contrast in colors and dynamic swirl and grain patterns.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

With its lavish painted decoration inspired by fashionable furniture of the Federal period, this blanket chest represents the best of high style furniture made by rural craftsman in Vermont during the early 19^th century. This imaginative maker enlivened the façade of a plain chest in imitation of the vibrantly grained mahogany, satinwood, flame birch, tiger maple and bird’s-eye maple veneers found on expensive furniture made in urban areas. The graphite inscription on the lid recounts its history in the Cutting family of Whittingham, Vermont, from Nioma Cutting to Florence Cutting and next to her brother, Charles Cutting. Many members of this family are buried in the Cutting Cemetery in Whittingham. The name written here may refer to Charles Cutting (1830-1888) of Whittingham, son of James Cutting (1800-1857) and his wife Cynthia Winchester (1807-1843), who married on July 11, 1824.  Charles later married Lovina Fairbanks (1838-1914). The blanket chest is one of a group of chests made in the Shaftsbury area that share identical construction characteristics and ornamental painting in mustard, green, red, and brown. One was formerly in the collection of Leigh Keno and sold at Christie’s, Important American Furniture, Folk Art, Silver & Chinese Export, January 20, 2012, sale 2433, lot 188. Another is in the collection of the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont. Three others are illustrated by Dean Fales Jr. in American Painted Furniture 1660-1880 (New York: E.P. Dutton & Company, 1972): nos. 371-3, p. 221. Two of the aforementioned examples are signed and dated 1824 by Thomas Matteson of South Shaftsbury. This group of chests is the focus of Caroline Hebb’s article “A Distinctive Group of Early Vermont Painted Furniture,” in The Magazine Antiques (September 1973): 458-461.  Recent research indicates that these inscriptions likely refer to ownership rather than a maker.<sup>1


1</sup> Cynthia van Allen Schaffner, “Matteson Group Chests,” Encyclopedia of American Folk Art (New York: 2004): pp. 307-308.
Krashes, David. (1998) "The South Shaftsbury, Vermont, Painted Wooden Chests", Rural New England Furniture: People, Place, and Production. The Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife Annual Proceedings, 26-28 June 1998, editor Peter Benes, Boston University, pp. 226-235.