Featured John Bieber & the Edelweiss Chest

Thank you Book. We were promised pictures of hinges, saw marks, details of the painting, etc. - let me quote- "next week" He wants to keep it all to himself.

 

Well no, typical dower chest of the period, big empty space with a till. I'll take a couple today and post later.

 

I talked about the paint already! Lid is original and overpainted (don't know if lid has shadow of original design) & feet are restored ( as all but 1 chest of his are) so paint obviously is not original on feet.

 

Here is what we know about the Bieber joiners and their furniture, mostly thru odds and ends gathered from publications that focus almost entirely on the folk art aspect of their work and very little on the construction details. That's to bad but typical for early research, this shop was pretty much unknown until recently.
And short of going to museums (to lazy plus they may not be on display) or busting into collector homes (illegal) demanding to see their Bieber dower chests, many construction details will just have to wait until a "real" furniture scholar examines these chests and publishes findings.
1. Most known chests are Tulip Poplar
2. All chests that i have seen opened have heavy iron hinges that span 3/4 of lid and are attached to back of chest, not inside.
3. The drawer construction is very unusual, i have never seen it done, they are rabbeted on all 4 sides of drawer bottom,most joiners of the period did not do this. They usually nailed the back of drawer bottom and rabbeted the other 3 sides.
4. The breadboard ends on all Bieber chest lids are consistent, very narrow and somewhat fragile, many have split and/or been replaced.
My chest has all the above details. There are many more construction details i wish i could get confirmation on but for now at least, that will have to wait.

 

Interesting about the drawers being unusual. Of course, I had to look up what an antique drawer rabbet would look like especially because someone doesn't want to show them. The iron hinges sound huge. I'm still trying to understand the dimensions of this beauty, but I don't understand why such huge hinges - is it because the wood is so heavy? I really liked the photos of the actual breadboard ends. I missed those earlier as I didn't get the alerts for your posts on Saturday - it seems there was an issue.
I'm trying to imagine what those hinges looked like. Are they square or curved or elaborate.

 

Sums up the whole bridal dowry system, really.

 

Hey! That chest is supposed to be FULL of stuff! GOOD STUFF!

A couple of pics, not really much to see

Inside chest, obviously the "good stuff" is long gone!
click to enlarge


Hinge, heavy, thick and slightly decorative, tulip tips



Till

Till lid open, it has wood pintle hinges

 

I don't see the point here in taking the temperature of the chest every few days and posting about it, nor in rambling on about construction details that 99.9% of viewers/readers have no idea what the heck i am talking about.
RIVEN!
If something new comes up, I'll post it as i watch this stuff kinda closely!

 

I was referring more to the bride.

 

I await your next post.

 

And maybe the next piece of underrated furniture, or at least under-described.

 

Exactly, this conquest is over, time to move on. I'll give it a good cleaning inside & out over the next couple weeks and just enjoy looking at it when i enter that room. Naturally I'll follow any new developments on the Bieber clan, interesting bunch of joiners.

 

have no idea what the heck i am talking about.

Now , be that as it may.....just remember....when you turn us on like you have here......
It's hard to turn us off !!!!

Enjoy your new treasure !!!!

 

Meanwhile, another attributed Bieber chest is up for sale at Freeman's Oct 28. It has its original lock and hardware. No other info on condition is provided, it seems auctions are getting wary on this subject lately. I have made inquires as well as asked for additional photos.
My observations from photos provided so far.
The feet are replaced & some inpainting has been done
The brass pulls are original & exactly the same as mine
The breadboard ends are exactly the same as mine
The dovetails ( except for the feet) are wedged, as are mine

All in all, a very attractive example in good condition considering its age. Estimate is 30k-50k so Freemans as well as consignor are hoping for big numbers on this chest.
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/ite..._20200423_A&utm_medium=email&utm_content=item

Click to enlarge

 

And you paid $2,500 for yours!

 

LOL, yeah I know, actually $2250. so what are you trying to say?

 

Sorry. $2250 then. I was admiring your skill in identifying your piece and getting it for such a low price, because others don't have your knowledge.

 

Well, thing is, auction house on my chest helped me by scaring away the dreaded "folk art" crowd, AKA FOO FOO people. Freeman's is obviously courting them by keeping condition report under wraps & in the dark, we shall see shortly if they bite.
My main interest is the chest/ furniture form itself, not the condition/design of the decoration. Also, comparing it's construction details with mine.

 

FINALLY! Geez, one would think a condition report, as subjective as they are would be mandatory on any 5 figure objects yet auctions are getting very skittish lately for some reason. Maybe lawyers have intimidated them.
In any event, here it is.
CONDITION:
"Chest is poplar, mend to lower left corner of right drawer, top paint very worn, all top edges worn, with discoloration and old scratches. Right side front lid molding with 4 3/8 in. replaced segment, with corresponding and longer 14 1/4 in. replaced segment to cleat below, which is painted a dark green, age cracks to facade both side, horizontal crack to left front bracket foot. Wear to feet and moldings."

They sent along a lot of new photos of chest interior & till, I was very interested in the till lid.