to the Salon of the
17th Century
Royal Stuart Chest
and a Companion Chest
the Philadelphia Chest
described in the 1903 book
The Old Furniture Book
by N. Hudson Moore

Back to E-Museum Entrance

Royal Stuart Chest (not illustrated) and Philadelphia (Olivewood) Chest with Burnt Work, Figure 2, p. 7 Artist unknown, circa 1630–1650, provenance: the D'Olney Stuart Family for the first and possibly for the second chest Stuart Chest described above from bottom of p. 14 and most of p. 15 Philadelphia Chest (Fig. 2) Described above from bottom of p. 15 to top of p. 16 Excerpts (chapter heading p1., p. 7 and pp. 14–16) adapted from the book by N. Hudson Moore and Hannah Hudson Moore entitled The Old Furniture Book, Chapter I, "Old Oak, Old Leather, Turkey Work, Etc.," 1903, pp. 1–27.

Thanks to these excerpts from The Old Furniture Book written in 1903 by authors N. Hudson Moore and Hannah Hudson Moore, we now have a little additional history for the Royal Stuart Chest, which dated from between 1630 and 1650 and bore the family crest. That chest was said to have traveled long ago to America with an ancestor of the royal Stuart Family who fled England for Virginia after King Charles the First was beheaded.

In addition to that chest, which was diligently described yet so inadequately illustrated in the 1907 book Furniture of the Olden Time by Frances Clary Morse, we now have an illustration and a description here for a second olivewood chest—the Philadelphia Chest—that is described as similar in type.

Because the Philadelphia Chest, described as of a similar type—i.e., presumably with carving and both decorative and pictorial pyrography—was likewise inadequately illustrated, the chest's burnt work cannot be discerned let alone appreciated. It is also discouraging that the burnt work was not mentioned in the description either; however, since the two chests were said to be similar, then it is believed that there is burnt work on both, and that perhaps the unknown artist is also the same for both. At this time, the E-Museum's Research Department holds out hope that perhaps the second chest can still be found.

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If you have any information to offer regarding the provenance or whereabouts of these extremely rare 17th C. Chests, please e-mail the E-Museum Curator.

You are leaving the Salon featuring
the 17th C. Stuart Chest and the Philadelphia Chest
Described in 1903 in N. Hudson Moore's
The Old Furniture Book

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