Otto Dower Chest
Central Pennsylvania
c.1800
Poplar with the original polychromed finish.
H 23 ½", W 48", D 20 ¾"
I-0028
Literature: Fabian, The Pennsylvania-German Decorated Chest, pgs 158 & 159; “Heritage Sampler–An Introduction to the Domestic Arts and Crafts of Central Pennsylvania (1750-1900)”, figs 8 & 8a.
The painted decoration on this Pennsylvania-German chest relates to the work of the fraktur artists Henrich and Daniel Otto and was probably executed by one of these men. When pictured in Fabian’s seminal work on the subject the chest lacked feet, but Monroe Fabian noted that it most likely had turned feet as indicated on the underside. Consequently appropriate feet have been expertly restored to this exceptional and rare chest.