Federal Inlaid Mahogany Bow-Front Chest of Drawers

Object Details

Object Essay

Excepting his signature on the bottom of this chest of drawers, nothing is known of John Phelps. Were it not for the specific wording of the inscription, he might have been mistaken for an early owner instead of the craftsman. Although many pieces of New Hampshire furniture have some sort of markings, few of the names are those of makers.^{1_{James L. Garvin writes: “Numerous pieces of marked furniture were examined during the preparation of this catalogue; in relatively few cases did deed and probate searches, tax lists, and newspaper and genealogical research reveal that the names were those of cabinetmakers” (Plain and Elegant, 17).}}

A similar chest was labeled by Levi Bartlett between 1805 and 1808. The inlay on the drawers is identical, with line inlay outlining the rectangular drawer front and an interior line with ovolo corners set parallel to it. In general, bowfront bureaus are considered to be an expression of the fully developed neoclassical taste, the contrasting veneers and the high relief of the cast oval brasses typifying neoclassical decorative schemes.^{2_{Wesselman and Hamilton, 41.}}

Phelps’s use of sawtooth inlay, bowed construction, and elaborate brasses suggests a surprising sophistication, considering his current anonymity. In these elements, the chest relates to another documented example made in nearby Salisbury, New Hampshire, by Stephen Ross (b. 1785), now in the New Hampshire Historical Society.^{3_{Page, 1009.}}

About the relatively high level of sophistication in the Merrimack Valley area, John Page notes that by 1800 this region was more populous than any other in the state, and that some of the elegant furniture originating there was made by craftsmen who had been trained in Massachusetts and who advertised their ability to match the latest Boston styles.^{4_{Ibid., 1007.}} Perhaps Phelps was one of them, and passed through Concord on his way to try his hand in the furniture business elsewhere.

Page Talbott

Excerpted from Clement E. Conger, et al. Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1991.