Baltimore, Maryland, 1795-1810
Mahogany with tulip poplar, white pine, yellow pine, satinwood, maple, and rosewood
Catalog no. 115
This extensively inlaid chest of drawers represents a large group of case furniture from the shop of an unidentified cabinetmaker in early national Baltimore. Several aspects of his work suggest that the artisan had recently immigrated from Britain or continental Europe. The goods from this shop also reveal that the maker was familiar with Hepplewhite's Cabinet-Maker & Upholsterer's Guide. The design for this chest combines elements from three of Hepplewhite's plates.
The inlays are among the most unusual features of the furniture in this group. Almost certainly made in the shop that produced the furniture, the execution of the ornamentation is both ambitious and naive. Although the maker of the inlays produced everything from flowers and foliage to classical figures and trophies, the lack of refinement suggests inlay making may not have been his principal profession. His work also appears on the adjacent Baltimore sideboard table.