Pennsylvania eagle blanket chest
Centre County Blanket Chest with Spread Eagle
Centre County, Pennsylvania
1817
Pine with iron crab lock
Length 52", Depth 22 1/4", Heightt. 28"
Part of a distinct group of "Eagle" chests found in Centre county, Pennsylvania, this example was made for "Margrate Wagener" (Margaret Wagner) and is dated "1817" and inscribed on a banner between the eagle's wings. The eagle is encircled with hex designs & tulips while clenching stems of tulips with his talons. The body of the chest is decorated in a yellow ground with geometric sgrafitto designs.
Another chest by this maker and decorator is cited in Fabian’s The Pennsylvania-German Decorated Chest, as having been inscribed for Wilhelm Waggoner (1813); see page 167, plate 163 for a related example.