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Highboy Rendered by Francis Borelli watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard, 55.6 x 40.4 cm (21 7/8 x 15 15/16 in.) Index of American Design 1943.8.5916 |
Object 15 of 26
Between 1760 and 1770, American highboys became very ornate. The most elaborate pieces came from Philadelphia, which was a center of style and culture and one of the most important American cities both before and after the Revolution. This highboy was made by William Savery, a leading cabinetmaker of Philadelphia. It has a carved scrolled bonnet top; between the scrolls is a lavishly carved design of leaves and tendrils. The quarter columns at the front corners are ornamented with vine carving. Carved designs in the acanthus motif appear on the cabriole legs, and carved shell-like forms ornament the shaped skirting. The elaborate carving, a combination of motifs based upon rhythmically intertwined curves, produces an effect of great decorative richness, characteristic of the fully developed Chippendale style as practiced by the cabinetmakers of Philadelphia.
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