RIPE FOR THE PICKING
sƃ COUNTRYLIVING.COM / SEPTEMBER 2019
OVAL STORAGE BOXES
Bright Blue Oval Box
Sabbathday Lake
Shaker Village
Shaker Museum | Mount
Lebanon CollectionAt its 1850s peak, there were
18 Shaker communities—and more
than 6,000 members—ranging
from Maine to Kentucky. Here’s
what to know about these
complex, yet “simple,” believers.THE SHAKERS 101
Yellow-Washed
Chest of Drawers
Mount Lebanon Shaker Society
Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon
CollectionS mall Painted Bench
Hancock Shaker Village
Shaker Museum | Mount
Lebanon CollectionWHAT IT IS:Small, humble benches
were popular items in a Shaker
community, with their uses as versatile as
step stools, sitting benches, crickets
(footstools), or bed steps. While
not uniquely Shaker design traits, their
pieces often featured ARCHED
CUTOUT LEGS, DOVETAILED DIAGONAL
BRACES, and PAINTED FINISHES.WHAT IT’S WORTH:
$500 to $3,000
“Size matters on these stools
and benches,” says Karen. “As the
size goes up, so does the price.”WHAT IT’S WORTH:
$1,000 to $50,000
“Case furniture are some of the
most valuable pieces the Shakers
have left us,” says Antiques
Roadshow appraiser Karen Keane
of Skinner, Inc. “Some rare
cupboards have even reached
over $100,000 at auction.”CASE GOODS
WHAT IT IS:The Shakers’ iconic oval
storage box can thank its form to a quest for
effi ciency of materials and quality in
production. The oval shape allowed for a
bigger box made of fewer materials,
STEAM-BENT BIRCH or MAPLE bent easily
and strengthened as it dried, and
CARVED SWALLOWTAILS (or fi nger laps)
secured with COPPER NAILS allowed the
wood to expand without splitting. They also
made thousands of individual boxes
and popular nesting sets for outside sales.WHAT IT IS:Case goods, such as chests of
drawers, cabinets, and cupboards,
were almost always built with a room
and purpose in mind, informing its
number and placement of drawers and
shelves. During construction, the best
wood for each application was
effi ciently chosen, resulting in furniture
often made of MULTIPLE WOOD
SPECIES, i.e. a lightweight pine case,
inexpensive poplar drawer bottoms,
and maple knobs. And, while Shakers
didn’t believe in unnecessary adorn-
ment, they took pride in fi nishing details
such as THREADED PULLS, DOVETAIL
JOINTS, and PAINTED FINISHES.WHAT IT’S WORTH:
$200 to $10,000
“As with most
Shaker artifacts,
those with original
painted surfaces
fetch a premium,”
says Karen. “Paint
adds immeasurable
value because
of its rarity and the
pleasing visual
experience of color.”In 1774, the English
prophet Ann Lee and
her group of eight
followers traveled to the
American British Colony
to establish their new
protestant religious sect,
The United Society of
Believers in Christ’s
Second Appearing, and its
first communal community.BENCHES
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