Cabinet Doors & Fronts · Georgian & Colonial Revival
Painted Corner Cupboard from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (c. 1761)
A tall built-in corner cupboard from a house in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, about nine feet high, with an arched glazed upper section and painted finish.
Design characteristics
Corner cupboards were built into the walls of colonial dining rooms and parlors to display ceramics and glass. This example, about nine feet tall, has an arched upper case for display above a closed lower cupboard, framed by architectural trim so it reads as part of the room rather than a piece of furniture. It is still one of the most useful built-ins for an older house: it turns an unused corner into storage and gives the room a focal point. Paint, rather than stain, was common in rural Pennsylvania and remains a forgiving finish today.
Classification
- Category
- Cabinet Doors & Fronts
- Material
- Painted
- Motifs
- Corner cupboard, Arched glazing, Pilaster
- Date
- ca. 1761
- Recorded medium
- Painted wood
- Dimensions
- 48 in. × 9 ft.
- Evidence
- Documented historical object
Architectural context
Symmetry, classical proportions and refined raised-panel woodwork. Britain and colonial America · original c. 1714–1830; revival c. 1876–1955.
