Walnut was considered a somewhat exotic wood so far north as Massachusetts, where it is too cold to grow for the production of fine lumber. This chest was probably created out of walnut brought up from Virginia. The serpentine form, also called an “oxbow,” is well composed with a strong original central drop at the very bottom and tall claw feet that give the piece an assured stance. It was made in either Boston or Salem, both centers for the production of fine colonial furniture.