attributed to Alamance County, early 19th century, dovetailed construction, top with applied molding, two drawers, dovetailed bracket feet with scrolled returns, original paint with tulips and neoclassical trim, 26-3/4 x 49-3/4 x 21-1/4 in.

Provenance: Formerly collection of MESDA, deaccessioned March 2011; Estate of Joe and Betsy Byerly, Greensboro, North Carolina

Note: This chest was recorded by MESDA as photo number S-1248. Files notes record the following:

"The evidence of Pennsylvania-German folk culture in North Carolina is rare, despite the large number of Germanic settlers moving to the Piedmont after the 1740s. Decorated chests, fraktur, and other such hallmarks of the Rhenish Palatinate and Swiss peasant styles of Pennsylvania were not produced in North Carolina with the same fervor, judging from the small number of surviving examples. A partial explanation for this is that many of the so-called Pennsylvania German styles developed in the 19th century after the southward migrations.

RELATED WORKS: This chest is one of two decorated chests executed by the same cabinetmaker; the second, which is slightly more elaborate, is privately owned. Particularly unusual in the decoration is the use of bands of painted lozenges which resemble Neoclassical inlay; this detail also occurs on the second chest, along with the general design of the tulip motifs and the predominately dark colors of the decoration. The origin of the two decorated chests appears to be indicated by a walnut chest (S-5564) and a walnut chest-of-drawers (S-5563) attributed to the same cabinet shop. These two pieces descended in the Anthony family of Alamance County.

CONSTRUCTION: A very typical Germanic construction detail used on this chest is the wedging of all of the drawer and case dovetails; this occurs on each of the four pieces attributed to the shop."