THE HOYT-HITCHCOCK FAMILY VERY FINE AND RARE CHIPPENDALE CARVED CHERRYWOOD SCALLOP-TOP CHEST OF DRAWERS, probably by Benjamin Munn III (1738-1824), DEERFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, CIRCA 1775

Appears to retain its original finish and cast brass hardware.

Probable line of descent:
David Hoyt (1722 – 1814),  Deerfield, Massachusetts;
Mercy Hoyt Hitchcock ( 1756 -1834), Daughter, Deerfield, Massachusetts;
Edward Hitchcock (1793 – 1864), Son and 3^rd President of Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts;
Edward Hitchcock, Jr, (1828 – 1911), Son, Amherst, Massachusetts;
John Sawyer Hitchcock (b. 1869), Son, Amherst, Massachusetts;
Margaret Hitchcock Emerson (1899 – 1985), Daughter, Amherst, Massachusetts;
The chest was subsequently acquired by a private collector in the 1970’s.

Dean A. Fales, Jr., The Furniture of Historic Deerfield, (New York: Dutton, 1976), p. 187 (mentioned).

In very good condition; proper right front lobe of top cracked and reglued; appears to retain its original red mahoganizing surface; the cast brass hardware on lower three rows of drawers appears to be original; the spur on proper left front foot facing partially lost; proper right side with vertical crack towards base; the proper left side with vertical age separation crack.
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 exuberant chest, the second of three commissioned possibly from Deerfield cabinet maker Benjamin Munn III (1738-1824), was made for David Hoyt as a wedding gift to his daughter, Mercy, on her marriage to Justin Hitchcock in 1779.  The two other chest made for the Hoyt family still reside in Deerfield, one at Historic Deerfield and the other at the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association’s Memorial Hall (see Dean A. Fales, Jr., The Furniture of Historic Deerfield, (New York: Dutton, 1976), pp. 186-7, nos. 387 and 388).The reverse ogee feet on this chest relate directly to a chest-on-chest Historic Deerfield recently acquired (acc. no. 2009.36.1).  It too has drawers crafted with thick white pine stock and protruding rear dovetails.  For a detailed analysis on the proportion of the chest-on-chest see Josh Lane, “The Full Splendor of Beauty and Grace: Understanding Design and Proportions in New England Furniture,” Historic Deerfield, Vol. 11, (Winter 2010) 8-12.  Michael Brown noted that Deerfield resident Henry King Hoyt (1810-1863) once owned the Deerfield chest-on-chest (see “Scalloped-Top Furniture of the Connecticut River Valley,” The Magazine Antiques 117:5 (May 1980) 1092-99).