American Blanket Chests

This gorgeously refinished Honduran Mahogany 'Taliesin' Model #2005 Special Cabinet on Stand was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Heritage-Henredon in 1955 and produced only for two years, therefore is now a highly sought-after and rare collectors item and this particular cabinet design being one of the most sought after of the entire collection. This example is signed with the red Taliesin symbol on the back along with its stamped model #2005. This rare Frank Lloyd Wright cabinet features the rare sought after architectural base with equally rare and sought after two door cabinet with concentric square designs on doors. Inside the cabinet is a removable shelf. The cabinet can be removed from the base as can be seen in the photos. Frank Lloyd Wright stated that one of his goals for this line was for the 'design to make the home more efficient as well as more beautiful'. Woven into each piece of this series was the chamfered wood edge with an abstracted Greek key motif, the signature detail of every Taliesin design, covering the edges of each item in the collection. All of the pieces were executed in Honduran Mahogany, a high-end luxury wood choice. His idea was to design ‘infinite adaptability to American living’, for example desks could double as dressing tables, small tables could be used as a chair or stool and bookcases had moveable tops transforming into room dividers. Decoration was limited to the greek key edges so that ‘is of the piece, not on it’ and the removal of elimination of any hardware door or drawer pulls in favor of cut out flush pulls which ‘catch light and shadow for interesting and changing patterns’. Wright pitched three separate concepts to Heritage Henredon: ‘Burberry’, ‘Honeycomb’ and ‘Four Square’ which was the one chosen to go into production and renamed ‘Taliesin’ after Wrights Wisconsin home. A distinguishing feature of the Taliesin line is that each piece is identified with a branded signature which was often accompanied by a red square. No other items from the rest of Wright's career is marked or identified which makes this line more desirable to collectors. This particular cabinet design recently broke auction records for its model - demonstrating the rarity and desirability of Frank Lloyd Wright's work along with the uniqueness of this cabinet design and demand from art and design collectors and investors, along with the interior design community. This beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright Taleisin cabinet would work great in a Craftsman, Farm House, Monterey, Spanish, Mission, Arts & Crafts, Mid-Century Modern, Scandanavian Modern or Danish Modern home or penthouse apartment but could also look fantastic in a Contemporary or Post-Modern room. Also consider mixing it up in a Traditional, Transitional, Classical or Art Deco room with a splash of juxtaposition. Would also be an apt choice in a commercial project such as a hotel lobby lounge or members club, creative design studio or high-rise executive office. Consider using as a small blanket chest, a dry bar for liquor...

Good early 19th Century New England grain painted pine blanket chest with original whimsical painted surface, dovetail construction and pleasing form.

18th CENTURY, NANTUCKET-ORIGIN, STAND-UP BLANKET CHEST, EXUBERANTLY PAINT-DECORATED, OWNED BY THE COFFIN FAMILY AND NICKNAMED "THE TIGER CHEST" BY FAMILY MEMBERS, WHO HANDED IT DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION, CIRCA 1780-90 Stand-up blanket chest over two drawers, exuberantly painted, in a Folk Art manner, with fancifully scalloped, boot jack ends and skirt, attractively proportioned. The decoration consists of widely-spaced, curving lines, in a loose interpretation of elaborate wood grain. The result is all-together bold and whimsical, with a degree of visual impact seldom achieved among its counterparts, placing it among the best of its kind. The story that accompanies the chest solidifies its importance in both American history and decorative arts. It was handed down through generations of the Coffin family on Nantucket, where it was very likely made. Anyone who knows the island well, knows that the Coffin name is practically synonymous with Nantucket itself. The Coffins were a whaling family who both settled the island (purchasing it with a group of investors for 30 pounds and 2 beaver hats...

Made for Cadarina Moser, Lancaster, PA in 1801. Inlaid tulips and resting on ogee feet. Iron strap hinges inside. Pictured and mentioned in "American Furniture" catalog in 2015, page...

A rare and bright blanket chest in brilliant reds contrasted with blacks. The decoration is nicely painted with urns and flowers flanked by pillars and hearts on the corners. There i...

Painted Schoharie County, New York blanket chest, decorated with a beautifully embellished yellow urn of flowers on a blue ground. This is traditional fashi...

With an old dry surface, this green painted blanket chest has a white tombstone with a brown edge painted in the centre with "Elisabeth Enderleinich, 1817" written upon it. A mid mol...

Pennsylvania German (Amish or Mennonite) paint-decorated blanket chest of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania origin. Extensive smoke decoration on a ch...