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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;David Hunt, post: 2120449, member: 14943&quot;]It&#039;s a six board chest clad in applied decoration, as to mimic a more luxurious paneled chest, and I assume more at coffer given the size and the weight of the piece. It&#039;s most entirely pinned together with dowels and has undergone several repairs/modifications over the years. It&#039;s American because it&#039;s made from American Oak and not a European variety. Oak in this period was cut and carved while still green because it&#039;s so hard when dry, and as such develops this characteristic look when it dries and ages. I assume the the design was subject to then dimensional demands of the materials. One door is longer than the other, some panels wider than others,almost seems as if the available materials in some ways dictated design and dimensions of elements. Woodwork was labor intensive with all boards being cuts,sawn and planed by hand.This was not a high end piece,which is what the Hadley chests were for instance, and not the product of later organized production. I suspect it was made by a more general type of carpenter, taking a stab at something above, maybe a commission or for himself. This type of carving and working in Oak requires some skill above the norm. It&#039;s commemorative, and interestingly enough I did some internet research and came up with a certain Gesche and Maria Alherns in public records -of the inscribed 1750 date- In Montgomery or Bucks or some such county in PA. Don&#039;t read German so can&#039;t read them unfortunately, and there were more than one entry of various dates. Not to say these folks were one and the same but interesting none the less..I&#039;ll be back with more soon...[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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