Incollect Magazine - Issue 4

Issue 4 94 www.incollect.com (on armchairs) arm supports—without any carved decoration. The pierced and scalloped crest of the Dietrich chair—flanked by flat, rounded finials on the stiles—places it within a specific subgroup of wainscot chairs made in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s. It is one of a pair; the other example, also owned by the Dietrich American Foundation, is on view at Historic Trappe’s Center for Pennsylvania German Studies. Line-and-berry inlaid desk Beginning in the early 1700s, Quaker furniture makers in southeastern Pennsylvania began to experiment with a type of inlaid decoration now commonly referred to as line and berry inlay. More than 125 pieces to date have been documented, including spice boxes, bible boxes, chests of drawers, blanket chests, desks, as well as a high chest and a clock case. Multiple sub-groups are evident within this regional tradition, ranging from highly ornate examples associated with cabinetmaker Hugh Alexander (1724–1777) in the Nottingham area along the Pennsylvania-Maryland border to more restrained expressions attributed to Joel Baily Sr. (1697–1772) of the London Grove area in Chester County. Closer to Philadelphia, joiner James Bartram (1701– 1771) of Darby and Marple townships, both now part of Delaware County, is the probable maker of a dressing table, gateleg table, and several case pieces embellished with line and berry inlay. 3 The Dietrich Foundation’s slant-front desk is one of only a few examples of this form known with line and berry inlay. Moreover, it is the only desk known in which the drawer fronts, lid, and top are all inlaid. Although Fig. 3: Slant-front desk, probably Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1720–1740. Walnut, pine, cedar, gum, oak, brass. H. 42¼, W. 37⅞, D. 21½ inches. Collection of the Dietrich American Foundation (8.2.2.HRD.1966). Photo by Gavin Ashworth. Above, Fig. 4: Detail of the inlaid desk in figure 3. Photo by Gavin Ashworth.