Blanket Chest
Period1710 - 1740
MediumWalnut, oak, chestnut, and tulip poplar
Dimensions29.75 × 44.5 × 21 in. (75.6 × 113 × 53.3 cm)
ClassificationsStorage Furniture
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, 1970
Object number2001.510
DescriptionA well-proportioned and well-made blanket chest. Its lid has thick molded edges and two side cleats applied to the ends of its underside. The lid raises to reveal a small storage till with two drawers positioned on the left side of the interior. Three raised panels that are beveled and beaded appear on the chest front above two drawers with thumbnail molded edges. The sides and back of the chest are also fully paneled, and the feet have been channeled to slide the panels into place.The three rails of the front and rear of the chest are through tenoned into the side rails of the sides. An applied double arch molding conceals the tenons. A wide molded skirt runs above four simple plank feet. Both drawers have large brasses and escutcheons, with a third escutcheon located on the center front rail of the chest just below the lid. The brasses have been replaced.Curatorial RemarksThe blanket chest is an early eighteenth century example probably made in Eastern Pennsylvania.NotesThe invoice from H. & R. Sandor, antiques dealers from Lambertville, NJ, indicates that the chest was "Purchased from the personal furnishings of Henry Francis du Pont and removed by us from Chesterton, South Hampton. Chestertown House in Southampton, Long Island, was built in 1926 by Henry Francis du Pont (1880 - 1969). It served as his family's summer residence. Incorporating early architectural features like his main residence at Winterthur, DE, it was furnished in a more relaxed country style. The house had fifty rooms, including nine bedrooms and eleven full bathrooms. After du Pont's death in 1969, some of its contents were removed to Winterthur, while other items were sold. The house went through a succession of high profile owners and major renovations before being torn down in 2009.
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