Featured Supposed John Alden blanket chest - ? - age ?

My wife has a blanket chest her father bought in the 1950's from a dealer who attended the auction at the John Alden house in Massachusetts (this is the story). I am curious as to its age. The woodwork does have a very primitive quality, it is pine, the one drawer has cotter pins through a very plain brass escutcheon that would be only suggestive of a batwing. There appears to be no alteration to the cotter pins or replacement. It has a lock which appears to have been a replacement (steel?) and evidence of another mechanism having been in place. It has a dark red stain and the ornamental molding and trim have a grey paint or stain. There are red stain drips in the interior underneath. The front piece of the one drawer is dovetailed, no other dovetailing is evident.

 

@James Conrad ...........he should have a look..

 

Welcome, Robert.
James will want to see more photos.

 

Hello,
The feet & brasses are queen anne, the front has double arch molding common in the william & mary period, the sides of the case has a cyma curve at the base which was also common in the W&M period.
Is it period? I dunno with just these 2 small pic's, you would need to post more photographs with construction details, hopefully larger than these.
If it is period, and that's a big if, it would be considered a transitional piece with elements of two styles, William & Mary/ Queen Anne and would date to mid 18th century, say 1750-1760s. This was quite common in America when one style was going out of fashion & a newer style emerging.

 

I see having a birthday has not slowed you down or dulled your senses !!!
......

 

Well, John died in 1687. What does that do to your analysis, James?

 

Well, i don't know who John Alden was exactly ( a pilgrim i know but not much more) but, John was long gone when this blanket chest was built, that's for sure.

"Supposed John Alden blanket chest - ?"
No, no way if he died in 1687. A grandson/daughter maybe but the old man? Not a chance.

 

The red wash on the case is not original to this piece as the dings & scrapes would show the raw pine. Can't really see the double arch moldings very well as the pic is so small.

 

He was a passenger on the Mayflower. (which arrived in 1621.)

 

Yeah, did a quick google on him but, this blanket chest can't be earlier than mid 18th century so clearly he was not alive & never used or even saw this chest. Maybe a relative of his?

 

If they are original cast batwing brasses with iron wire attaching to inside of drawer front ( the bails seem to be missing) then the lid should have them as well, often called "snipe" hinges.

Hand forged iron snipe hinges/horton brass repro hardware

 

I imagine it could have been owned by a descendant, although I haven't looked up his family tree or the ownership of the house when the chest is supposed to have been purchased by the OP's father-in-law. (from a dealer who attended the auction at the house.)

 

Personally, i wouldn't place a big bet on "old furniture stories", they tend to grow & be embellished as time goes along. Unless provenance can be verified & checked, it's not provenance, it's an "old furniture story".
If John Alden died in 1687, this chest had nothing to do with his life.
Let the piece rise or fall on it's own merit i say, we demand more photos.

 

https://www.historicnewengland.org/explore/collections-access/gusn/197180/

"few of the items that the 350 bidders carried away had been used by the John and Priscilla that Longfellow immortalized. Most had been brought to the historic homestead by later Aldens."

 

Nice find.

 

I do not disagree with anything you said, James. The OP seems to clearly understand that what he heard was "a story." "Curious as to its age" implies, to me at least, that he is open to whatever truth the piece itself tells.

 

Yes I will upload some more pictures. I see the limit is 1MB, so maybe best to provide a link to download?

Yes I am aware this may be a later piece than Alden would have made - but that is the likelihood of the other pieces in the house as well - it was inhabited by Aldens for quite a while, then the auction, and then it is now owned by a group called "the kindred," descendants I imagine.... link to pics coming in a few minutes....

 

Some people don't like links; but there are several methods to reduce the size and allow posting the images; an easy one is to email the images to yourself; that should allow you to select from small/medium/large size; usually medium will reduce the images to a size that can be posted.

 

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AsepwoSTLZKiyxhVILRc2gLXTdXx?e=EPe1lR

Yes it does have snipe hinges. The wood behind the cotter pins looks untouched. Any guess on what would be a good replacement handle is appreciated. Also, most importantly, my wife would like to know would the Keno brothers have been excited or just pshaw?

 

OK there's 23 pictures uploaded, if anyone wants a smaller set posted here, which views are most important?