Philadelphia Chippendale highboy
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| Year | ca. 1760-1780 |
|---|---|
| Type | Decorative art |
| Dimensions | 250 cm × 109.9 cm × 56.5 cm (98 in × 43.25 in × 22.25 in) |
| Location | Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis |
This high chest of drawers, also known as a highboy or tallboy, is part of the Decorative Arts collection of the Indianapolis Museum of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana. Made between 1760 and 1780 in Philadelphia, its design was inspired by Thomas Chippendale.[1]
Description
Chippendale's rococo style is readily visible in this tallboy, with its scroll pediment, flame finials, and shell motifs on the drawers. It is carved from Virginia walnut, with brass mounts. An unusual feature is the unbroken row of slender drawers along the top, with the elaborate shell-carved drawer over, rather than centered in, it. This is a more constrained and conservative stylistic choice than many other tallboys, hinting at an earlier dating within the period.[2]
Historical information
In 1754, Chippendale published his hugely influential book of furniture patterns, The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director. While quite popular on both sides of the Atlantic, the tensions in the years around the Revolutionary War forced Americans to buy locally. Philadelphia was the largest city in the colonies, and growing rapidly larger thanks to a population boom. Thus, its furniture makers were kept busy crafting pieces such as this, adapting the Chippendale styles demanded by cosmopolitan customers to American tastes and materials. Tallboys were particularly popular items, used to store clothing and table linens.[1]
Acquisition
The tallboy was a gift of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Indiana to the IMA in 1975. It has the accession number 75.99 and is currently on view in the William L. Fortune Gallery.[3] It was an extremely generous gift, since a similar piece had recently broken the record for the most expensive piece of American furniture ever sold, going for $102,000 at the Parke-Bernet Galleries in 1971.[4] More recent auctions have seen Chippendale tallboys sell for six times that amount, so its value has not diminished over the years.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lee, Ellen Wardwell; Robinson, Anne (2005). Indianapolis Museum of Art: Highlights of the Collection. Indianapolis: Indianapolis Museum of Art. ISBN 0936260777.
- ↑ Day, Holliday T. (1988). Indianapolis Museum of Art Collections Handbook. Indianapolis: Indianapolis Museum of Art. ISBN 0936260203.
- ↑ "high chest of drawers". Indianapolis Museum of Art. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
- ↑ "Chippendale Highboy Sold for $102,000". Reading Eagle: 27. 24 May 1971. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
- ↑ Moonan, Wendy (19 September 2008). "Chippendale High Chest, Made in Philadelphia, Returns From New Orleans". New York Times: E34. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
External links
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