Seymour Dressing Chest

This is an antique reproduction of a dressing chest with mirror originally made by John and Thomas Seymour in Boston, 1805-10. Dart-pattern stringing and sand shaded tiger maple surround the mirror and wraps the edges of the mid top. The drawers are veneered in birds-eye maple, cross banded in "tiger" mahogany with an ebony/holly string inlay separating the two. Solid ebony is used for the beading on all the drawers and also surrounds the mirror frame. Ebony is also inlayed above the therm feet. The lower case edges have sand shaded curly maple cross banding with only the upper edges sand shaded. Underneath this, there is a line of checkered-pattern stringing. The upper section of the legs and vertical mirror supports are fluted. "This masterpiece of a dressing chest relies on simplicity of form, the sparing use of brackets with refined curves, and the bold contrast of light-and dark-figured veneers to create a uniquely American statement," from The Furniture Masterworks of John and Thomas Seymour, by Robert Mussey.