Antique Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Paint Decorated Blanket Chest, Circa 1860’s

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Antique Paint Decorated Blanket Chest, Attributed to Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Circa 1860s
Found in the Manheim, PA area.
A … Read more Antique Paint Decorated Blanket Chest, Attributed to Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Circa 1860s
Found in the Manheim, PA area.
A richly characterful and authentically preserved example of Pennsylvania German decorative folk art, this tulip poplar blanket chest with original paint decorated surface is a wonderful survivor of the mid-19th century Lancaster County tradition of transforming humble domestic furniture into objects of bold visual beauty. Attributed to the Manheim area of Lancaster County — a community with a well-documented tradition of distinctive regional paint decoration — this chest carries with it the deep folk art heritage of one of Pennsylvania's most celebrated furniture-making communities.
The decoration is executed in a striking orange-red faux flame grain mahogany style — a virtuoso painter's technique that simulates the figuring of expensive imported mahogany using nothing more than paint, a comb, and a skilled hand. Set against crisp black moulded trim and resting on original black turned feet, the overall effect is bold, graphic, and deeply satisfying — a piece that commands attention while remaining entirely rooted in the honest vernacular tradition of Pennsylvania German country furniture. The original cast iron hinges survive intact, a pleasing and authenticating detail that speaks to the chest's unaltered history.
Constructed from tulip poplar — the quintessential secondary wood of Pennsylvania German craftsmen — the chest is honest in its materials and straightforward in its construction, relying entirely on the painter's art for its considerable decorative impact. The original as-found paint surface is well worn, as one would expect of a working piece of household furniture that has served faithfully for nearly 160 years, and the wear only deepens the chest's authenticity and folk art appeal.
At 44 inches wide this is a generously proportioned and highly functional chest, as useful today for blanket or linen storage as it was in a Lancaster County farmhouse in the 1860s.
Dimensions: 44"W × 22.5"D × 25"H
Material: Tulip poplar, original cast iron hinges, original black turned feet
Decoration: Original faux flame grain mahogany paint in orange-red with black moulded trim
Attribution: Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Circa 1860s
Condition: Original as-found condition; well worn paint decoration consistent with age and use, original porcelain escutcheon, albeit broken. See less