RARE SHENANDOAH (NOW PAGE) CO., SHENANDOAH VALLEY OF VIRGINIA, PAINT-DECORATED YELLOW PINE BLANKET CHEST, the hinged rectangular lid with applied edge moldings having a square profile to the front and an ovolo lower edge; concealing an interior with a molded-edge lidded till, original wrought-iron strap-and-butterfly hinges, one rosehead stocking string nail, and grab lock with key; the dovetailed case with original pointed oval iron escutcheon, an applied complex astragal, cove, and bullnose base molding raised on original ogee-molded bracket feet with cut-out spurred returns, large white oak blocking, and unusual cut-out rear braces that are part of a molding applied the entire lower edge of the back of the chest. The moldings, feet, and bottom board are all attached with copious wooden pins; the top-edge corners of the case are also pinned. Retains an outstanding dry, original polychrome-paint over a red lead ground, the front panel laid out in five quadrants divided into 13 quadrilaterals, the center having a "Jacob's Ladder" squiggle ornament surrounded by dots and bordered by elliptical elements, all of the other sections are vividly comb-decorated in various colors; the end panels feature a central circle filled with dots, surrounded by conforming combed decorations; the feet retain their original black-painted surface; and the top has a later 19th century grain-painted surface mimicking oak similar to that seen on interior house doors and woodwork. Late 18th/early 19th century. 26 1/4" H, 49 3/4" x 22 1/4" OA.
Catalogue Note: The present chest is part of a very small emerging group of paint-decorated blanket chests originating in the Page Valley. Each of the three known examples exhibits nearly all of the same construction details as those painted by Johannes Spitler (Virginia/Ohio, 1774-1837). The chests include over-pinned attachments of the lid, feet, and base moldings, pins at the top-edge corners going down through the upper dovetails, and a distinct lack of nails (the only nail in the present lot is the one remaining from the stocking string). The paint application technique also shares similarities in that a red lead base layer or primer serves as the foundation for the paint decoration, and some of the designs (in this case, the circles) have been laid out using a compass.
Notable differences, though, allow us to ascertain that this is not Johannes Spitler's hand. Firstly, all three known chests attributed to this painter are laid out in a quintipartite arrangement on the front panel, whereas Spitler's chests mostly have a tripartite layout. Secondly, Spitler employs a very heavy hand in laying out his designs with a compass and straight edge, leaving behind deep gouges that he follows with precision when painting. In contrast, this artist's compass lines are much fainter, and their painted edges are not nearly as crisp. This artist also appears to be laying out the designs on the chest prior to the base and lid being added, as evidenced by the rectangular fields being taller at the top and shorter (partially covered by the base molding) at the bottom. Spitler's chests don't show this, with his layout always accounting for the space taken up by the base molding.
This chest, though, exhibits several stylistic differences that don't align with the others by this artist, Spitler, or any other known decorated blanket chest in the Shenandoah Valley, for that matter. Primarily, the style of the ogee-molded bracket feet is highly unusual for this form. Sadly, one of the chests in our small study group has lost its original feet; however, the photographs of the other example show the typical ogival bracket foot seen on most Spitler chests. Additionally, the rectangular fields that comprise the segmented front layout feature a combed, painted surface as their primary decoration. Several of Spitler's chests exhibit this technique on their ends, as do other chests from the Mid-Atlantic region; however, it is rarely treated as the primary decoration.
Regardless of their differences, the maker of this blanket chest is either the same cabinetmaker producing chests for Spitler or someone very closely related, and the consistencies in the paint decoration speak to a broader cultural demand existing within the Massanutten region.

Outstanding original condition, the dovetails at the proper left rear corner are separating slightly, some staining to the top, small chip and edge wear to the feet, one area of old sap leakage from the front board near the center, and only minimal wear and losses to the paint.

From the collection of Benny Long, New Market, VA.
Acquired in the Massanutten area of Page Co., VA in the 1990s.