Very Fine and Rare Queen Anne Carved Cherrywood High Chest of Drawers, Philadelphia area, Pennsylvania or New Jersey, circa 1745

Samuel T. Freeman Auctions, October 1975;
Israel Sack Inc., New York

Secondary wood is Atlantic white cedar, and yellow pine; refinished; the interior of all the drawers has been painted yellow; lacking pull on upper drawer; very minor patches to drawer beads throughout.
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.

This remarkable high chest-of-drawers is perhaps one of the most elaborate and fully developed Queen Anne example made in the Delaware Valley.  With its superbly carved shells and sunflowers, it has only two known counterparts, both of which closely follow its basic design. One is illustrated by Jack L. Lindsey in Worldly Goods, The Arts of Early Pennsylvania, 1680-1758, (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1999), pp. 68-9, 143, fig. 93, no. 40, and a second was sold at Christie's, New York, Important American Furniture, Silver, Prints and Folk Art, October 9, 2002, sale 1129, lot 239 and sold for $119, 500.  Another high chest in a private collection and illustrated in Christopher P. Monkhouse and Thomas S. Michie, American Furniture in Pendleton House, (Providence, RI: Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, 1986), p. 29, fig. 33 exhibits a number of design similarities.