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  PAINT-DECORATED PENNSYLVANIA KAS WITH KENTUCKY SHAKER PEGS, ON HIGH TURNED FEET, FOUND IN A HOME IN HOLIDAYSBURG (BLAIR COUNTY), 1830-60
Dimensions (inches): " tall x 58" (top of cornice) x 23 1/2" deep
Description:
PAINT-DECORATED PENNSYLVANIA KAS WITH KENTUCKY SHAKER PEGS, ON HIGH TURNED FEET, FOUND IN A HOME IN HOLIDAYSBURG (BLAIR COUNTY), 1830-60:

Pennsylvania Kas from an estate in Holidaysburg, just south of Centre County. Circa 1830-1860, with 2 doors bearing 6 raised panels each. The deep, dovetailed, poplar wood case is paint-decorated to look like Mahogany, and the grained panels are painted to resemble figured mahogany. The case rests on eight-inch tall, turned feet that are double-mortised into the body and painted black. The feet are removable to facilitate easier mobility of the one-piece case. The paint is original throughout with excellent old surface.

Anyone familiar with these large, 2-door cupboards will note how the design of this piece differs from the traditional Pennsylvania Kas. Hinging of the doors at the very outer edge is a rural, Western Pennsylvania trait and the simplified structure was obviously an adaptation of the general form, made for practical use in a large Pennsylvania farm house in a different part of the state from where the more elaborate Kas would typically be found.

The interior is as wonderful as the exterior. The naturally oxidized, unpainted softwood has excellent patination. The right side is open from top to bottom and measures a generous 32" wide x 22" deep. On this side are two horseshoe-shaped rows of Shaker pegs that have been identified to the Pleasant Hill Shaker community in Kentucky.

On the left, there is a 4 1/2" x 19 1/4" shelf at the very bottom, followed by 3 drawers above, and 2 large shelves above the drawers that measure 19 1/4" wide x 18" tall x 22" deep. The exterior measurements are 86" tall x 23 1/2" deep x 54" wide at the body and 58" at the cornice.

The cabinet dates to around 1830, with 2 doors bearing 6 raised panels each. It is on turned feet, which are in black wash. The feet are double-mortised into the body, but are removable. The body is paint decorated to look like Mahogany, and the grained panels resemble figured mahogany. The paint is original with great surface.

Condition: There is a small chip missing from the back of the top left side section of the cornice, and there are some scratches in the painted surface, but there are no wood replacements. One of the three hinges on the left side is absent. I have a period replacement for this. The single Sheraton brass is early, if not necessarily original, and I have the key to the lock. There appeared to have been a brass spinner about 2/3 of the way up on the doors, and so I replaced it with a period example (after these images were taken).

Because some Pennsylvania farm houses were very tall, especially on the first floor, the case appears to have been shortened by 4 to 6 inches to accommodate being moved to another location.
   
Primary Color: red, brown, mahogany
Earliest Date: 1830
Latest Date: 1850
For Sale Status: Sold
Price SOLD
E-mail: info@jeffbridgman.com
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