Chest-on-Chest

Chest-on-chests generally consist of two sets of drawers stacked on top of each other, with the upper usually smaller. The fine-grained mahogany, imported from Central America or the West Indies; the polished brass handles, set off against the reddish-brown wood; and the elaborate carvings all mark the Chippendale style of this chest-on-chest--a style which dominated Colonial interior furnishings in the 1760s and 1770s.

This particularly fine example is attributed to renowned furniture-maker Benjamin Frothingham, of Charlestown, Massachusetts. Frothingham served in the War of Independence, earning the rank of major and making the acquaintance of General George Washington. Washington later visited Frothingham in Charlestown in 1789.