AFA Summer 2019

Antiques & Fine Art 112 2019 Pie safe, unidentified maker, East Tennessee, ca. 1830–1860. Descended in the Bower family of Greeneville, Tenn. Walnut, tulip poplar, tin, and paint. 47½ × 48½ × 17½ in. Purchase with funds from the Fraser-Parker Foundation in memory of Nancy Fraser Parker, who loved the decorative arts (2016.6). This pie safe, with its original painted tins and punched ventilation holes, is an excellently preserved example of an important nineteenth-century American household form. This horizonal type is specific to East Tennessee and the southwestern region of Virginia, where decorated pie safes were commonly made. The punched tins probably originated in Wythe County, Virginia, where craftsmen specialized in this technique and often incorporated stars, hearts, and compasses — motifs that originated with German immigrants to Pennsylvania. Used to house and protect pies, breads, and other goods from vermin, insects, or curious children, pie safes reduced the rate of food spoilage and were a staple in the American home until iceboxes and refrigeration rendered them obsolete. Hand to Hand: Southern Craft of the 19th Century at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, is on view through August 4, 2019. The exhibition was developed by Kevin W. Tucker, Chief Curator. For more information about the exhibition, visit www.high.org.