Chest of Drawers
On View In:
Gallery 331
Artist:   attributed to Eliakim Smith  
Title:   Chest of Drawers  
Date:   c. 1755  
Medium:   Cherry, white pine, and brass (handles)  
Dimensions:   76 1/2 x 37 1/4 x 9 1/2 in. (194.31 x 94.62 x 24.13 cm)  
Credit Line:   Gift funds from the Friends of the Institute  
Location:   Gallery 331  

Eliakim Smith was one of the most skilled cabinetmakers in the rural Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts. A variety of furniture forms, including chests-on-chests, desks-and-bookcases, and high chests of drawers were made by Smith or those that worked in his shop. The objects have histories in Hadley, Northampton, and other towns around Springfield, Massachusetts.

While it is unknown where Smith trained, he adopted the more urban Boston traditions of craftsmanship, as seen here in the stylized flame finials and molded drawer sides.

Artist/Creator(s)     
Name:   Smith, Eliakim  
Nationality:   American  
Life Dates:   American (Hadley, Massachusetts), 1735 - 1775  
 

Object Description  
  
Inscriptions:    
Classification:   Furniture  
Physical Description:   bonnet top and cabriole legs  
Creation Place:   North America, United States, , ,  
Accession #:   24.66  
Owner:   The Minneapolis Institute of Arts