CORNER CUPBOARD
PINE BARN WOOD WITH MILK PAINT FINISH
This corner cupboard is based on a cabinet built in
the Eastern Shore of Virginia in about 1780.
Because the Eastern Shore was separated from the
mainland by the Chesapeake Bay, it remained
isolated and rural in the eighteenth century. Few
professional cabinetmakers lived there, and so much
of the needs of local buyers were filled by house
carpenters.
Furniture built by these local finish carpenters
tended to have a very architectural feel. In addition
to raised paneling and applied molding, Shore
cupboards featured pairs of highly developed
pilasters. Many of the pilasters are topped by
stepped back capitals and fluting. Both of these
features are employed on this cabinet. Homeowners
willingly paid extra for these embellishments to give
their rooms a much more imposing appearance.
Like the original, this cabinet is constructed of pine
and finished with multiple layers of milk paint.
After the paint is sanded and polished, it is finished
with several layers of linseed oil and beeswax.
the Eastern Shore of Virginia in about 1780.
Because the Eastern Shore was separated from the
mainland by the Chesapeake Bay, it remained
isolated and rural in the eighteenth century. Few
professional cabinetmakers lived there, and so much
of the needs of local buyers were filled by house
carpenters.
Furniture built by these local finish carpenters
tended to have a very architectural feel. In addition
to raised paneling and applied molding, Shore
cupboards featured pairs of highly developed
pilasters. Many of the pilasters are topped by
stepped back capitals and fluting. Both of these
features are employed on this cabinet. Homeowners
willingly paid extra for these embellishments to give
their rooms a much more imposing appearance.
Like the original, this cabinet is constructed of pine
and finished with multiple layers of milk paint.
After the paint is sanded and polished, it is finished
with several layers of linseed oil and beeswax.
