High chest of drawers

The unusual decoration on this high chest was achieved by first building up islands of gesso on the surface (to create the raised areas), and then painting, gilding, and varnishing the entire object. The technique, known in the eighteenth century as "japanning," was intended to simulate the lacquered wooden wares then being imported to the West from Japan and other Asian countries. Naïve when compared to the Asian originals, and even the European copies, American japanning was nonetheless colorful and exotic by colonial standards. Though a few japanners were at work in New York City, the American center for this craft was Boston, where at least one dozen japanners plied their trade in the eighteenth century. In addition to high chests, they also ornamented tall clocks, looking glasses, and dressing tables.

The decoration on this chest, like that on all antiques, has been subjected to two centuries of fading and wear. In its original state, the surface would have been even more vividly colored than it is now.
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