Orange Shaker Oval Storage Box – SOLD
Possibly Elder Daniel Crosman (1810-1885)
Mount Lebanon, NY | c. 1860-70
Maple, pine, and copper
Original stain and varnish surface
5 ¼“ h. x 13 7/16” w. x 9 ¼” 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 nearly thirteen and a half inches in diameter, this Oval Storage Box represents the second largest size manufactured. It would have been advertised as a “No. 2″—No. 1 being the largest (at fifteen inches in diameter), and No. 11 the smallest. The three swallowtail lappers on the base and the single lapper on the lid are perfectly arched, tapered, and tacked, exemplifying the apex of Shaker Oval Box construction.
In the mid-nineteenth 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 possible that he is the maker of this Oval Box, which survives in an original opaque orange stain and varnish surface. The Box is in an excellent state of preservation.
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