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Morton Chest with Drawer. Material : Red and white oak. Probably made in Plymouth, 1650-1700 Descended in the Morton family of Plymouth. Chests of drawers as we know them today became popular almost 300 years ago. |
Before that, people in England and America had chests with one drawer at the bottom, like this one, or chests without drawers.
This chest has remains of the original decoration : a bright red tulip with green leaves, painted in vermilion and verdigris. When the chest was new, the wood was pale and the decoration would have been very dramatic.