In preparation for the re-opening of the American galleries next spring, the conservators are busy restoring, cleaning and touching up pieces of furniture that will be on display.
One of the pieces is this Chest-on-Chest that dates from circa 1760. The conservator told me this is one of the best pieces in the collection and it seemed to my untrained eye to be in excellent condition. The piece is actually two pieces that can be used separately. Many times, the pieces will be sold or given away to different people. Luckily, this one remains happily together.
When I stopped by, the drawer pulls had been removed minus one that was being stubborn. The conservator had cleaned one of the pulls and applied a clear coat.
The pulls are most likely the originals because when they were removed there were no additional outlines or shadows found on the wood underneath. The bottom drawer was a little suspect because the shadows looked odd until they realized that the pulls had been removed at one time, probably for cleaning, and when they were reattached, they were put on upside down.
It definitely made me think twice about changing the pulls on my dresser.