Description:
Chest of drawers in hard pine and maple with molded-edged plain top; over four graduated drawers with early but not original brasses and chamfering all around the interior sides; plain sides with moldings; over a molded base and four turned legs. It was likely originally painted and/or decorated. According to family tradition, this chest descended in the Hawks family who attributed it to Eliezer Hawks (1655-1727) of Deerfield. This, however, is unlikely. There is a possibility that John Hawks (1643-1721), Eliezer's brother, the joiner-carpenter believed to be a maker of carved Hadley chests, made this plainer type. John lived in Deerfield from 1680 to around 1704 when his wife and daughter were killed in the 1704 raid. A family member took the chest before the auction of the belongings of Susan B. Hawks (1883-1946) in 1946. Ms. Hawks was a Sheldon descendent who last owned the Sheldon House before it was bought by Henry N. Flynt (1893-1970) in 1946. She had an antiques business in the house where she sold many locally-obtained pieces, so this chest may be in fact a family piece, or possibly one purchased from a local family. The chest ended up in a Vermont antique shop where it was bought for HD. This chest is similar to other chests made in the Deerfield area such as 0383 and 1195.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+64.205 |
