Dower chest

The son of German immigrants, Christian Seltzer is considered to be the founder of the “Jonestown School” of chest makers. His decorative style was distinct yet variable. Many chest painters of this period used templates or repetitive designs, but his motifs rarely repeat, and he typically rendered vases and flowers freehand. The mottled background painting is a treatment suggestive of highly figured wood-graining and serves as a particularly effective ground to give emphasis to the arcaded panels surrounding the urn and stylized spiky floral motifs. The deep claret reddish-brown hue seen in the painted ornament on this chest was especially favored by the elder Seltzer.