Pumpkin-Orange Shaker Oval Storage Box
Probably Elder Daniel Crosman (1810-1885)
New Lebanon, NY | c. 1850
Maple, pine, and copper
Old or original stain and varnish surface
7 ¼” h. x 15” w. x 10 ⅞” d.
Provenance: Watt & Jan White, Stamford, CT
Around the turn of the nineteenth century, the Shakers of New Lebanon, New York, crafted the first oval boxes for community use and, by the 1830s, the production of boxes was standardized. Specialized machinery, such as the buzz saw and planer, expedited production, and New Lebanon established a range of consistent sizes that were sold to “the World.”
New Lebanon’s oval box industry was centered in the Second Family. At just over fifteen inches in diameter, this Oval Storage Box represents the largest size manufactured. It would have been advertised as a “No. 1″—No. 1 being the largest, and No. 11 the smallest. The five swallowtail lappers on the base and the single lapper on the lid are perfectly arched, sharply tapered, and tacked, exemplifying the apex of Shaker Oval Box construction.
In the mid-19th century, Elder Daniel Crosman (1810-1885) was the primary oval box maker for the New/Mount Lebanon community and, today, he is recognized as a master craftsman for his oval boxes and other bentwood objects. It is probable that he is the maker of this Oval Box, which survives in an old or original pumpkin orange stain and varnish surface. The Box is in an excellent state of preservation.
Also from the Collection of Watt & Janet White, a “No. 2” South Family, New Lebanon, Oval Storage Box in an old green painted surface, measuring 13 ½ inches in diameter.
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