Finished a project

[Zach Dillinger]

This won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I love this kind of stuff. This chest of drawers is an exact replica of a c.1720 Eastern Massachussetts piece in the collection of the Met. I worked closely with curatorial staff and the conservator who worked on the piece in the 90s to get chemical analysis, construction photos, etc. to make this as spot on as possible.

This is a bit of a departure for me as I usually strive to make new furniture look as old as possible. With this piece, the interesting nature of the decoration would be lost if I did any aging to the finish, so I chose to replicate what it would have looked like when first made.

I realize most people today think this is gaudy, but when you remember the original context of low light conditions, it fits right in. Stuff in the period was often a lot brighter than we think today.... and this piece is certainly no exception.

Anyhow, here is how the original as it looked in 1997 (when the photos were taken).

DT240388.jpgADA4548.jpg198014.jpg

And here is how my piece looks (I just finished it last night).

dresser 2.jpgDSC_0120.jpgno drawers.jpg

Not a dovetail or glue bottle in sight...

Thanks for looking.

Zach

[Graham Haydon]

Very special, you should be very pleased with the results. Just the images are rewarding for me, the build must of been even more so.

[Brian Holcombe]

Very cool! Interesting, the applied molding creates the appearance of a mitered shoulder mortise and tenon, it took a bit of examination to realize that it was not.

[Mel Fulks]

Spectacular ,I hope the museum having the original will display a photo of it next to the original. People seldom get a
chance to see unaged copies.

[Zach Dillinger]

Yup, applied moldings not mitered shoulders. Lots of nails in this thing!

[Zach Dillinger]

That is my hope as well, Mel. I have offered to send them high-quality pictures but we will see!

[Pat Barry]

Very impressive paint job on this piece. Excellent excellent work Zach!

[Jim Koepke]

Interesting piece.

No glue? Are most of the parts draw bored?

Some of my pieces have been put together without glue due to the temperature in my shop. Mostly they are held together by tight dovetails. Draw boring could have the same result.

Glueless and metal fastener free joinery could be a subject all to itself.

jtk

[Dave Anderson NH]

Nicely done Zach. Are you going to be in Williamsburg next week?

Your comment about how things appeared when they were new is right on the money. Bright colors were far more common than most folks suppose. This is particularly true for the wealthier purchasers of furniture and room décor who could afford the paints, fancy woods for inlays, and very particularly the expensive brasses. People forget that 200-300 years of oxidation, fading, and the fugitiveness of many colored pigments and woods makes a huge difference. Even today woods like purpleheart change to brown in a few short years.

[Kees Heiden]

Indeed not my cup of tea, but that doesn't matter at all. I think you did a great job, and it takes some courage to stray of the beaten path. The inside pisture looks great too, gives a good idea how something like that looks inside. The painting is just "weird" but kind of funny too.

[Zach Dillinger]

Interesting piece.

No glue? Are most of the parts draw bored?

Some of my pieces have been put together without glue due to the temperature in my shop. Mostly they are held together by tight dovetails. Draw boring could have the same result.

Glueless and metal fastener free joinery could be a subject all to itself.

jtk

Yup, the joints are drawbored but with minimal offset since I used sawed wood. I suspect much of the original was constructed with green wood, hence the pegs that are quite proud of the interior surface. Of course, that could be just an example of period timesaving.

[Zach Dillinger]

Nicely done Zach. Are you going to be in Williamsburg next week?

Your comment about how things appeared when they were new is right on the money. Bright colors were far more common than most folks suppose. This is particularly true for the wealthier purchasers of furniture and room décor who could afford the paints, fancy woods for inlays, and very particularly the expensive brasses. People forget that 200-300 years of oxidation, fading, and the fugitiveness of many colored pigments and woods makes a huge difference. Even today woods like purpleheart change to brown in a few short years.

Thank you Dave. I will not be at Williamsburg unfortunately. It just isn't in the cards for me this year.

The way I see this piece is that the original owner had money but not a lot. He aspired to show off his "wealth" and good taste, but either didn't have the necessary funds or lived in a rural area without a cabinetmaker to make such a piece with veneer and inlay. So, he wandered down to the local joinery shop and asked for something close. Or the joiner himself knew a thing or two about Boston high style but lacked the skills / tools / materials to make the oyster veneer and inlaid vine work, but had a paintbrush and an imagination.

[Prashun Patel]

I love your mission and execution. Aspirational work. Thanks for posting.
p

[Karl Andersson]

Zach,
Excellent choice of an unusual form to build and decorate - I think once people overcome the surprise that these pieces were originally very colorful, there will be a growing appreciation and, hopefully, market for them. To me, the colors add much more vitality and even cheerfulness to the furniture and its environment; not bad for the fairly pious and restrictive people who had it made originally. I'd rank this "lesson" you've given us up there with Peter Follansbee's reproduction cabinet he made for the MFA in Boston, where his work is displayed right next to the original. Their original is even darker and in worse condition, so seeing Peter's "as new" rendition next to it is almost shocking. Thank you for making it and sharing with us.

By the way, what did you use for paint - linseed oil and powdered pigments, hide glue like Peter, or is there another source? I've been working on some traditional decorative woodwork and can't settle on the best paint - especially for painted details; regular artist's oils just take too long to dry when thinned enough to act like 'enamel", and I can't find the right amount of drier to use in small portions.

regards,
Karl

[Chris Hachet]

Again, a wonderful piece of work and thanks for posting this!