The humble four-drawer chest is perhaps the most common form of cabinet, or case, furniture to come down to us from eighteenth-century America. Thousands of examples exist, very few of which are objects of exceptional beauty. This new acquisition, though deceptively plain, is of that select company. Of its kind, it is perfect in every way: the shapes and proportions of the parts are pleasing and in harmony; the wood is the best mahogany, carefully chosen for its bold figure; the brasses are big and bold. The condition is ideal: every part is original and the visible surfaces retain the old finish with a warm, golden brown patina. The graceful serpentine of the front and the crisply curved brackets of the feet reflect the lightness and playfulness of the Rococo, which in New England suggests a date in the 1770s or even later. In the American Wing, it will stand comparison with the great four-drawer chests from Philadelphia (straight front with carved quarter columns in the Chippendale style) and Newport (block front with applied carved-wood shells).