Featured Eastern Shore Virginia - Chesapeake

Good question!
It was picked up in NH on 8/16 so exactly 1 week ago from today.
He said to allow 2 weeks as he was leaving NE (Boston area) for Texas within a day or 2.
He took photos at pick up point, wrapped it very carefully and texted photos to me, before and after wrap.
Wanted to text today but, I'll wait till end of this week, don't wanna bug him.

 

Outside before the wrap

 

Some place a LOT safer than the back of a truck.

 

Another good question! I don't know, naturally, there will have to be some shuffling of pieces here and obviously a corner! I have 2- wall-hung corner cupboards here now and one of them may have to come down.

Threatens to call Book's PAL on Ruth if she don't BEHAVE!

 

Might as well just call him/her/etc because I don't know how! Raised by enginerds and cats, y'know.

 

Oh Lord! Trust me when I say, you don't wanna go there! ask Book!

 

I think it's afraid of me.

 

Meanwhile, Ruth slips far far away, AGAIN!

 

Meanwhile, I have been having a nice email chat with the curator of collections at the Eastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society who made the mistake of replying to one of my emails.
I didn't know there was a museum there, till now. Nice people, their collection is not digitized so that's a problem unless I take the 7-hour drive to get there.
Anyhow, they sent me photos of their corner cupboard, notice the "Dentil" molding on their period example, very nice.

click to enlarge

 

I don't know yet (kinda doubt it but maybe?), is taking it slow, steady as she goes, I don't want to push too hard or too fast!
Included in photos were close-ups of the hinges on their cupboard, they are IRON! which I am also very interested in learning about.

 

BTW, that dentil molding is VERY tricky to do. Lonnie Bird, a nationally known furniture maker, describes how to layout that molding profile with all those oblique angles without making a complete mess of it, pretty complicated.

 

The MET has an eastern shore va. cupboard in WALNUT! (very rare) with QA tombstone door panels below the glazed top but it is NOT on view and only a B&W photo of the cupboard. Gee Wiz, they should give me the cupboard if they are just going to hide it away like that!
In 1916 the MET acquired (rogers fund) & it's on display, a wood-paneled room built by joiners that shows the level of skill these guys had when turned loose with an unlimited budget.
With a corner fireplace and two corner cupboards, this fully paneled room has seven sides.
Yellow pine, walnut, paint
The painters/decorators weren't too shabby either.

Marmion House, main parlor paneling, King George County VA. (tidewater) 1756


click to enlarge

 

On the paint restore front, things are NOT going well!
On my inquiry in what type of paint and what colors were used in a paint restore project on a similar form cupboard at MESDA
"Thank you so much for your email to our research center which was forwarded to our collections department. I’ve checked the file and unfortunately, it does not look like we have specific details about the type of paint or the colors chosen when it was repainted in 1978. The file does indicate that the colors were based on the surviving evidence and I have little doubt that that is true. I’ll add that the blanket chest in our collection does retain its original paint."
GREAT!, so you paint restored a piece and no records were kept? Sounds like they may have been members in good standing at Antiquer's anti-paint crowd!

On my inquiry on the paint restore, do not paint restore inquiry regarding what it might do to the value of the cupboard. Not going well here either!

"Hi James, thanks for your inquiry about the cupboard. Looks like a great example of the form, and from what I can see the condition looks good as well. It is a tough call regarding the paint: we sold a related example in later paint many years ago (in a very different market) for a record $60,000 against a presale estimate of $12,000-18,000. Since then the market for corner cupboards is much diminished. An expert repaint will be expensive, and might or might not pay dividends. In this market, there are comparables to support an estimate of $5000/7000 as is. It could certainly bring more, but related examples have sold in that ballpark, and that is an estimate I think the market will respond well to. The impact on a repair to the ultimate selling price is anyone's guess really- it will appeal to many people, but will it bring enough of a premium to merit the cost and time of repaint? Hard to say.

Either way, we would be pleased to work with you if do decide to part with it. Keep us posted."

 

Not me, not really anyway.
In the 1920s, the MET was getting ready to open the "New American Wing" using Eugene Bolles furniture collection as the foundation for that museum.
For the first time in history, American furniture was deemed "worthy" of being displayed to the public.
In Bolles notes about a pilgrim chest in his collection,he wrote "bird decorations".
Curators/restorers at the MET STRIPPED that chest which is how it is still seen today.
Just because you have a PHD beside your name, does not mean you know what the hell you are doing.
Bolles "Bird Chest" at the MET, sans birds.



My "Bird" chest sans birds, which didn't survive the "brown wood" folks either

 

There are traces of red paint on the sides of my chest so, I got THAT goin for me!