Maine Pine Blanket Chest, ca. 1865
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GUEST:
This blanket chest was made by my great-great-uncle, John Lawrence, for his wife, Mary Frances. Now, they were married about 1859, and we understand through the family that John Lawrence, who really didn't have a workshop, he was a ship's captain, he made this blanket chest at the workshop of his very good friend in Kittery Point, Maine, John Haley Bellamy. We understand that since Uncle John was a ship's captain, he probably made the rope handles, but the chest itself I think probably called for more than he himself could do. John Haley Bellamy was known as the carver of eagles. He made these really unique American eagles...
APPRAISER:
Incredible works.
GUEST:
...and ship's figureheads.
APPRAISER:
And you got this by descent in...?
GUEST:
I got this, I inherited it. Mary Frances and Captain John didn't have any children. Captain John died in 1907, Mary Frances died in 1915, and my great-uncle Elry, who had taken care of them, came into the furniture of the house, and this was one of the pieces, and he gave it to me because Captain John had sailed on the seas and I was the only member of the family that actually went into the Navy.
APPRAISER:
Okay, I think it's neat for a variety of reasons. One is that based on construction of the blanket chest-- the butt hinges, the way the lock is installed, the other fasteners-- it tells me that it is probably made around the time of the third quarter of the 19th century, so it corroborates the marriage dates that you mentioned earlier. The Bellamy association is significant because he's known, as you mentioned, for his fantastic eagle carvings, some of which have brought six figures. Really expensive objects and very popular in the folk art world, in the world of Americana. I think this is interesting because I suspect that what you shared about who made this might be backwards. The beckets that are on this piece are these wonderfully painted red and green rope handles.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
And that's something that I would expect John Lawrence to have done, being a ship captain.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
And he may have made the box, the entire carcass, back at Bellamy's shop, but in doing some research, I noticed that the carving of the cleats that actually holds the beckets to the sides of the case are very, very representative of Bellamy's work. I've seen some architectural elements that look similar to these, and the way that the sides of the carving underneath here, the way it almost looks like wing tips in here...
GUEST:
Yes?
APPRAISER:
...reminds me of the wing tips that you see on the Bellamy eagles. So I think Lawrence might have made the box, but Bellamy made the cleats that hold the beckets to the box. It's a really great object. If it were just an unadorned American pine box from New England, you'd be looking at something that might be $300.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
If the beckets were to come along on their own, not attached to the box, they're probably about $800, because they're so vivid and vibrant and beautifully made. People do collect beckets. The combination of this being a family piece, having the excellent red and green beckets, the fact that the cleats were carved by Bellamy on this box in his shop, I would say that if this were to be an auction estimate here, you're looking at $1,500 to $2,500.
GUEST:
Oh, boy.
APPRAISER:
And if it had an older surface, it could be even higher.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
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