Charleston, South Carolina,
1780-1790
Mahogany with lightwood and yellow pine
Catalog no. 113
This chest of drawers belongs to a group of sophisticated furniture made in Charleston during the last three decades of the eighteenth century. Even within the context of that city's urban and uncommonly cosmopolitan cabinet industry, these pieces are noteworthy for their exceptionally high quality of design and production. Distinguishing traits include bold serpentine facades with heavily figured mahogany veneers and narrow, out-thrust, canted corners. Most objects in the group also feature skillfully crafted inlays like those on the feet of this chest. The advanced nature of the marquetry on some of the objects strongly suggests they were made by one of the many continental cabinetmakers who worked in Charleston after 1775.