Chest with Drawers

Authors

Tessa Trowbridge

Files

Year Completed

2021

Abstract

Tessa Trowbridge, VCU Interior Design MFA 2023, selected the Chest with Drawers for the 2021 Colonialism And The Americas, Object Analysis Project

As people began to accumulate wealth, more storage methods were needed for small objects. Using the chest as the display case was an indicator of wealth. The chest turned into a focal point of the home. Motifs from Tudor style embroidery largely influenced the designs of chests from the Connecticut River Valley. It is possible that makers understood the value of embroidered patterns and wanted to bring this value to their furniture. Similar to the use of embroidery to represent wealth, chests with decorative carvings were used for the display and storage of precious items in a time period of economic success. The maker of the selected object, Peter Blin, may have been exposed to Tudor embroidery while living in London.

Object Name

Chest with Drawers

Function

to hold precious objects

Material(s)

white oak, yellow pine, white cedar

Maker

Peter Blin

Place of Origin

Wethersfield, CT, US

Cultural Connections

England

Time Period

1675 - 1700

Current Location (Museum Collection)

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Disciplines

Interior Design

Department

VCU Arts Dept. of Interior Design

Date of Submission

12-7-2021