Document 4.14 Chest of Drawers, ca. 1735–1739

Chest of Drawers, ca. 1735–1739

For the colonial elite, home furnishings grew more elaborate—and more expensive—during the eighteenth century. Robert Davis of Boston constructed and decorated this chest of drawers during the 1730s. It represents the “Japanned” style of furniture making, in which European and American furniture makers imitated Asian lacquerwork. Colonial Boston became a major center of the Japanning trade in America.

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