Southern blanket chests continue to capture collectors

A Stirewalt School, Shenandoah Valley of Virginia paint-decorated yellow pine and poplar child’s blanket chest stomped its $20,000-$30,000 estimate when it reached $45,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2023. Image courtesy of Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Antique American furniture is invariably regional. Picture a New England Hitchcock chair or a Philadelphia pie crust table; these forms are instantly recognizable, yet were replicated during the centuries as they spread to other regions. The Southern blanket chest is a sublime take on a form that proliferated in Europe and the United States, and is still eagerly collected today.

Blanket chests prevailed in Europe in the 17th through the 19th centuries and colonial settlers carried this tradition to the United States, as most homes then did not have closets. Blanket chests, also called hope or dowry chests, were used to store blankets and linens and double as extra seating.

“Paint-decorated blanket chests in the American South generally fall into two stylistic categories: those influenced by Pennsylvania German chests and those that are unique designs,” said Jeffrey S. Evans, president and senior specialist at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates in Mount Crawford, Virginia.

When it comes to blanket chests, the more details and decoration, the better. “While most chests are rectangular with simple bracket style or turned feet, any chest with greater workmanship is more desirable,” said Stephanie L. Case, co-owner, principal auctioneer and vice president of operations at Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals in Knoxville, Tennessee. “Desirable features include exposed dovetailing, highly figured woods such as tiger maple, inlay, tall turned legs or an attached frame with elevated legs, drawers for extra storage, and paint decoration. As always, condition plays a crucial role, along with knowing the maker or being able to attribute a piece to a specific artisan or cabinetmaking school. Some of the most expensive blanket chests that we have sold were from a sparsely populated area in Wythe County, Virginia.”

A Wythe County, Virginia paint-decorated blanket chest more than quintupled its $6,000-$6,500 estimate when it brought $32,000 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2023. Image courtesy of Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals and LiveAuctioneers.
A Wythe County, Virginia paint-decorated blanket chest more than quintupled its $6,000-$6,500 estimate when it brought $32,000 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2023. Image courtesy of Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals and LiveAuctioneers.

One Wythe County, Virginia. paint-decorated blanket chest more than quintupled its high estimate when it brought $32,000 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2023 at Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals. This polychrome-painted chest featured decoration attributed to John Huddle (1772-1839) and family. The front bears two painted panels, having a large central flower flanked by four smaller flowers, all stemming from a black urn or pitcher. The top is also decorated with red and black six-pointed stars within a rectangular frame.

The market for American furniture has had its ups and downs, and ordinary pieces have been soft recently. Museum-quality pieces in any form do well, and blanket chests are no exception, with strong auction results being posted during the last three years.

A North Carolina paint-decorated blanket chest realized $14,000 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2020. Image courtesy of Leland Little and LiveAuctioneers.

A North Carolina paint-decorated blanket chest realized $14,000 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2020. Image courtesy of Leland Little and LiveAuctioneers.

“It has been our experience that a good early blanket chest with provenance and above-average workmanship will do well in any market. While brown furniture in general did take a hit, exceptional pieces are still highly collectible,” Case said.

Southern chests were produced in limited quantities, so their survival rate is small compared to their Pennsylvania cousins, Evans said. “I don’t ever see the supply catching up with the demand for these chests. While their values will fluctuate a bit, solid examples have held or increased in value.”

Some nice grain-painted and sponge-decorated Southern blanket chests dating from the 1820s to the 1870s are available in the $500-$2,000 price range, but most full-size chests with decorative designs sell for $10,000 and more, he said, adding: “Be wary of examples offered below this price, because there are numerous fake and enhanced examples that come to the market.”

Setting an auction record, this Johannes Spitler paint-decorated yellow pine blanket chest attained $310,000 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2015. Image courtesy of Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates and LiveAuctioneers.
This Johannes Spitler paint-decorated yellow pine blanket chest attained $310,000 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2015, setting an auction record as well. Image courtesy of Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates and LiveAuctioneers.

Evans achieved a record price for a Johannes Spitler blanket chest back in June 2015 for a Shenandoah (now Page County, Virginia) paint-decorated yellow pine example that achieved $310,000 plus the buyer’s premium. Spitler lavishly decorated the piece on the front panel in a tripartite design, with lovebirds and abstracted tulips coming out of inverted hearts — a design scheme that he extended to the lid in the form of inverted hearts and crescents. Given that these chests were used for seating, it’s notable the decoration on this lid survived so well. “It was a classic Spitler design,” he said.

Children’s chests are scarcer than full-sized examples, as evidenced by the auction performance of a Stirewalt School, Shenandoah Valley of Virginia paint-decorated yellow pine and poplar child’s blanket chest. It beat its $20,000-$30,000 estimate to sell for $45,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2023 at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates. This chest retained its original red and black decoration with birds and turtles, a seldom-seen motif, set against a bright chrome yellow background.

This East Tennessee or Southwestern Virginia paint-decorated yellow pine and poplar blanket chest earned $21,000 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2022. Image courtesy of Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates and LiveAuctioneers.
This East Tennessee or Southwestern Virginia paint-decorated yellow pine and poplar blanket chest earned $21,000 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2022. Image courtesy of Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates and LiveAuctioneers.

As Evans noted, the more unusual the design, the more desirable a piece is. Such was the case with an East Tennessee or Southwestern Virginia paint-decorated yellow pine and poplar blanket chest that took $21,000 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2022 at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates. The red chest had decoration allover that was likely rural and unique to the area, such as six-petal pinwheels or rosettes, stylized floral flourishes, abstract designs, and patterns of dots and slashes. “Its regionally expressive design displayed a desirable abstract primitive sense,” Evans said.

North Carolina blanket chests are coveted, regardless of where within the state they were made. A circa-1820 North Carolina paint-decorated blanket chest attributed to Rowan County realized $14,000 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2020 at Leland Little. Graced with a pleasing blue-green background, the chest was decorated on each panel with double swags having tassel drops and corner rosettes.

This miniature Southern inlaid blanket chest in walnut, measuring 10 by 17 by 10in, needed no paint decoration to attract bids. It brought a strong price of $1,500 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2020. Image courtesy of Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals and LiveAuctioneers.
This miniature Southern inlaid blanket chest in walnut, measuring 10 by 17 by 10in, needed no paint decoration to attract bids. It brought a strong price of $1,500 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2020. Image courtesy of Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals and LiveAuctioneers.

Miniature examples can perform well also. One such Southern inlaid blanket chest, measuring 10 by 17 by 10in, brought $1,500 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2020 at Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals. “This miniature walnut chest had an unusual figured inlay band around the base that transitioned to a shaped skirt with shaped bracket feet and spur returns. The yellow pine secondary wood pinpoints the origins of this form to the American South,” Case said.

The days when these blanket chests slumbered in the attics and homes of their original estates, just waiting to be found and consigned to auction, is long gone, but they are still valued as American folk art. Most that appear for sale today were previously discovered and derive from long-time collections. While buyers are not apt to find bargains among those storied pieces, appreciative collectors who are patient can secure fine and important examples that will hold their value and serve as a statement piece in the home.

Andrea Valluzzo

Andrea Valluzzo

Andrea Valluzzo is an award-winning journalist who has worked for media publications for more than 20 years. Today, she enjoys writing about antiques, collectibles, art and the art of collecting. Based in Connecticut, she's also an avid scrapbooker who loves Broadway shows.

Dealer H. Marshall Goodman, Jr.’s personal 50-year collection comes to Jeffrey S. Evans Sept. 22-23

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MT. CRAWFORD, Va. — A one-of-a-kind collection comes to market at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates on Friday, September 22 and Saturday, September 23, representing a lifetime career in antiques and Americana. The two-day sale is now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers (Day 1, Day 2).

H. Marshall Goodman, Jr. was a prominent member of the antiques and fine art trade for a half-century, having helped place innumerable numbers of important pieces in prominent collections and institutions throughout his career. The 1,000-plus lots in the sale represent his personal collecting interests, ranging from fine art and rugs to Virginian pottery and Shenandoah Valley items.

A key item from the latter group is a bentwood oval box of yellow pine and poplar from the Barb family of Shenandoah County, Virginia, circa 1800. Attribution is from similar boxes that appeared in the Shelley collection at Pook & Pook in 2007. Hand-painted with floral designs, the box is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.

As a dealer in fine art, Marshall’s collection of American artists is notable. The sale includes two American Impressionist paintings by Guy Carleton Wiggins (1883-1962), known for his depictions of New York City and his membership in the Old Lyme artist colony in Connecticut. Manhattan Snow Scene, dating to circa 1930, is a 10-by-8in oil on artist board that the auctioneer notes say “leans toward Tonalism” due to the snowy subject matter. It is estimated at $8,000-$12,000.

A recognized member of the American Realism movement, along with his friend Edward Hopper, was Martin Lewis (1881-1962). Lewis spent time in Japan learning printmaking, which would drive his output upon his return to the United States in the 1920s. Marshall’s collection includes four originals that reflect Lewis’ focus on nighttime city scenes. His Arch, Midnight drypoint etching on paper from 1930 measures 8 by 11.5in and carries an estimate of $5,000-$8,000.

Another top lot comes from Marshall’s Shenandoah collection. This circa-1835 child’s blanket chest of yellow pine and poplar retains its amazing turtle, bird and parrot artwork against a yellow background, and is believed to be the work of famed builders Jacob or John Stirewalt. It is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.

Review the complete two-day (Day 1, Day 2) catalog now at LiveAuctioneers.
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Shenandoah Valley paint-decorated bentwood oval box, estimated at $20,000-$30,000 at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates.
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Guy Carleton Wiggins, ‘Manhattan Snow Scene,’ estimated at $8,000-$12,000 at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates.
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Martin Lewis, ‘Arch, Midnight,’ estimated at $5,000-$8,000 at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates.
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Stirewalt School Shenandoah Valley child’s blanket chest, estimated at $20,000-$30,000 at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates.
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Henry Lowndes decorated stoneware jug or pitcher dating to 1835-1840, estimated at $40,000-$60,000 at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates.
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Tale of hot air balloon flight could float to top of PBA Galleries sale, Oct. 20

Earliest account of the first hot air balloon voyage, 1783-1784, estimated at $2,000-$3,000
Earliest account of the first hot air balloon voyage, 1783-1784, estimated at $2,000-$3,000

BERKELEY, Calif. – On Thursday, October 20, PBA Galleries will host a sale with nearly 450 lots of materials on history, exploration, conflict, cultural development, social progress and technical innovation, both in the Americas and around the globe. Included are books, manuscripts, maps, prints, views, photographs and ephemera. Explorers by sea and land are joined by those in the sky, with aviators and lighter-than-air pioneers. And for collectors of California, there are selections from the Zamorano Eighty. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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