A mid-19th-century decorated six-board sea chest, American, probably from New England. An exceptional chest constructed of white pine with nailed joints and a canted front and back. Single board top with tooled molded edges and applied end cleats for structural strength and to reduce warping. The top is attached to the body of the chest with snipe hinges, one cotter-pin-like piece driven through the top, with a second driven through the chest back, while the openings of the two pins hook together to form a hinge. The exterior lid features a colorful panoramic painting of a dramatic whaling chase scene, enclosed within a painted rope border that conforms to the shape of the rectangular lid. The interior lid was left in natural pine and features a painting silhouette of a black sperm whale with a crossed whaler's harpoon and oar behind. The exterior of the sea chest is painted an olive green in color. A ditty box (till) is fastened in the upper right side of the interior with a single drawer, and an open cavity below. One of the other features of this exceptional sea chest is the survival of the original leather-wrapped beckets with painted wood side cleats. The original lock remains, but the chest is missing its original keep. Depth: 18 ½ in. Width: 39 3/4 in. Height: 17 1/4 in.
This sailor’s sea chest would have been one of the owner’s most important possessions during long voyages. The crew on sailing ships typically owned little property—perhaps only what would fit into a chest like this one at a time when travelling by sea was particularly perilous.. Not only did his chest store a sailor’s personal belongings, but it also served as his table, his chair, his bank and his bureau. These chests also gave a sailor an opportunity for personal expression through carvings, paintings, and decorations.
The chest came from the personal collection of Henry Alexander Murray. Henry Murray (May 13, 1893 – June 23, 1988) was an American psychologist and instructor at Harvard University. Murray was a leading authority on the works of American author Herman Melville and amassed a collection of books, manuscripts and artifacts relating to Melville which he donated to the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
