Wythe County, VA Material Culture

Wythe County, VA table with Original Surface and Hidden Drawer (Case Antiques)

Wythe County, Virginia dated butter stamp, circa 1831 (Case Antiques)

Pair of Wythe County, Virginia miniature redware pots (Case Antiques)

Pair of Wythe County, Virginia miniature redware cream pots. Incised lines around lower rim area. Provenance – estate of Hazel Copenhaver of Crocket, VA. Very good condition. 2 1/2" height, 3 1/2" height. 19th century.

E x ceptional and rare paint decorated Wythe County, Virginia blanket chest (Case Antiques)

Rare paint decorated Wythe County, Virginia blanket chest, exceptional state of preservation. Descended through the Dutton family of Wythe County (daughters of Henry Huddle married into the Dutton family). Chest consists of three painted panels with dahlia flower and urn designs and two decorated circles on the top of the chest. The poplar chest has a red painted background resting on bracket feet with pads. This "dahlia" chest belongs to the earliest and most intricately decorated chests from the Wythe County group (refer to J. Roderick Moore’s "Painted chests from Wythe County, Virginia", The Magazine Antiques, September, 1982, pp.516-521). A similar chest also descending from the Dutton family can be seen in Figure 2 of the J. Roderick Moore article. Scribe lines are visible where a template and compass was used to mark out the painted designs. Another rare feature of this chest is the alternating color design of the urns. Provenance – Teenie Dutton of Wythe Co. passed the chest to sister, Sophia Dutton Buck. Sophia Dutton Buck married Ephriam Buck, and they

passed it to their daughter, Ada Buck Kinder. Ada Buck Kinder married John Kinder, and they passed it to their daughter, Beulah Ann Kinder. Beaulah passed the chest to her nephew, Neal Kinder. Condition – the chest remains in a remarkable state of preservation, completely original. This chest was thoroughly inspected by the late John Bivens in the mid 1990s. He concluded the chest was completely original and suggested a protective treatment to prevent exfoliation of the original painted surface. The chest is untreated. Blacklighting confirms the paint is original with no inpainting or restoration. 52" width x 26 1/4" height x 23 1/4" depth. Circa 1800.

Virginia medicine or innskeeper table, Russell or Wythe County, Virginia (Case Antiques)

Virginia medicine or innskeeper table, Russell or Wythe County, Virginia. Top swivels to reveal a well with compartments. For a similar table by the same cabinet shop, refer to figure 29, page 41 of "Great Road Style: The Decorative Arts Legacy of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee" by Betsy K. White. Provenance – table descended from the Gammon family of Bristol, Tennessee. Condition – partitions missing on left side of upper section, old splice to top, drawer knobs old but not original. 19 1/4" x 19 1/4" x 28 1/2". Circa 1830-50

Wythe Co. VA Sofa, 19th c. (Case Antiques)

19th century Southwest Virginia walnut sofa with flat crest rail tenoned into thick solid shaped arms over inset side spindles. Canted back with turned spindles connecting to the rear base railing. Modern wooden base board has been added to support contemporary sofa cushion. Turned tapered feet. 34 1/2" H x 76 3/4" H x 28 1/2" D. Wythe County, Virginia, possibly from the Fleming K. Rich shop (1806-1861). Condition: Overall very good condition with slight splitting on the crest rail, later supports were added behind the arm spindles to prevent breakage. Possibly some spindles replaced.

3 Wythe Co. Virginia Pottery Items (Case Antiques)

3 Virginia pottery items. 1ST ITEM: Southwest Virginia redware creampot with three incised lines around upper shoulder. 5 1/2" H. 2ND ITEM: Wythe County Virginia stoneware cream riser or bowl. 3 7/8" H x 8 1/4" dia. 3RD ITEM: Wythe or Smythe County Virginia redware pottery jar. 10" H. All items Late 19th century. Condition: 1st item: Some flaking of glaze

on rim and body. 2nd item: Some chips to rim. 3rd item – Overall very good, some loss to glaze.

Miniature painted blanket chest, Wythe Co. Virginia (Case Antiques)

Miniature grain painted Wythe County, VA blanket chest with the initials and possible name painted on front of chest. Poplar primary wood with dovetailed case resting on bracket feet. 12 7/8" Height x 24 1/2" Length x 11 3/4" Depth. 2nd quarter of 19th century

Wythe Co. Virginia jar with sine wave incising (Case Antiques)

Wythe County, Virginia jar with sine waves around upper shoulder area, handles with flared edge (handles similar to two Wythe Co. examples sold in the April 19, 2008 auction). Overall very good condition with old small

chips to underside of rim, wear to handles and base. 11 1/2" height. 19th century.

Wythe Co. Virginia meetinghouse windsor bench ( Case Antiques)

Wythe County, Virginia painted meetinghouse bench in old blue green paint with traces of red paint underneath. Scrolled arms and spindle back. Very good condition for age, old split to seat. 34 1/2" H x 72 1/2" W x 19 1/2 D. Second quarter of 19th century.

Wythe Co. Virginia scalloped apron table (Case Antiques)

Wythe County, Virginia table with scalloped apron on four sides, turned legs. Retains an old surface. Mid 19th century.

Wythe Co. Virginia early dower chest (Case Antiques)

Rare Wythe Co. VA dower chest, descended from the Boone family. Consisting of dovetailed upper case, dovetailed drawers, bracket feet with spurs. Heavy ogee molding on top and waist region. Tendon run through center of top lid. Dovetails are wedged, typical of the Germanic communities in Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee. Interior till with hidden lower compartment, till lid and side with step molding. Old, dry surface. Circa 1800. Provenance – descended from James Harvey Sult (b. 1879) of Huckleberry area of Wythe County (between Rural Retreat and Crockett). His father was William Riley Sult (b. 1857). His father was Harvey Sult (b. 1833). His father was Francis Frank Sult (b. 1811). Original name also spelled Sultz. His father was believed to be Peter Sultz. They were from Montgomery County, VA.

North Carolina Moravian redware jug, possibly Rudolph Christ (Case Antiques)

Southern redware jug, Moravian, found in the Fort Chiswell, Virginia area (Wythe County) in the early 1970s. The distinctive extruded handle with beaded edge is similar to other extruded handles by Rudolph Christ of Salem, North Carolina. The rim and spout also follows Moravian forms from the Salem area. Three incised lines around upper shoulder, thumbprint at handle terminus, beaded base, worn, unglazed bottom. A mouse skeleton is inside the jug. Condition – overall very good condition. Expected wear with age, old, shallow chips to spout, minor chips to beaded base. 5 5/8" height (ref42). Late 18th/early 19th century.

WYTHE COUNTY, VA HARD POPLAR OVERSIZED PIE SAFE (Green Valley Auctions)

WYTHE COUNTY, VA HARD POPLAR OVERSIZED PIE SAFE CUPBOARD, rectangular top above two full-length doors, single-panel ends, raised on turned feet. Each door features two double-joined tins hand punched in the urn-grape-and-diamond pattern with corner stars. Interior fitted with three full-length shelves without center divider. Poplar secondary wood. Old dry red-washed surface. Attributed to the shop of Fleming K. Rich (1806-1861) and his family. Mid 19th century. 73" h, 60" w, 21" d. This monumental Wythe Co. safe cupboard is previously unrecorded and seemingly unique. While furniture with punched tins is traditionally associated with the kitchen and dining room areas, it seems reasonable to speculate that this cupboard might have functioned as a storage for linens or bed covers.

Exceptional Great Road Pottery (VA / TN) Redware Bowl, probably Smyth County, VA (Crocker Farm)

Exceptional Great Road Slip-Decorated Redware Bowl, probably Smyth County, VA, 2nd quarter 19th century, with tooled and rounded rim, the lead-glazed interior coated in yellow slip and decorated with a band of green copper slip, dark brown manganese dashes, and a wavy manganese stripe, all surrounding a copper slip flower. The distinctive color and aspects of the slip decoration point to an origin along the Great Wagon Road, in Smyth County, VA. A similarly-colored jar with slip-trailed decoration, one of a small number found in Smyth County, VA, is pictured on page 136 of Betsy K. White's Great Road Style (University of Virginia Press, 2006). The text describes this jar as "made in Smyth County, Virginia, near the North Carolina line [and] polychrome decorated with oxide slip in a design not usually seen on local pottery, but related to Moravian pottery from North Carolina." It also notes, "The Moravian potters, who were known to get their lead from Wythe County mines, are thought to have influenced local pottery, and this piece seems to support that conclusion" (White, p.128). The polychrome glaze and floral motif on this bowl also suggest this North Carolina influence. The rare form and bold decoration of this example place it among the finest examples of Great Road pottery to have surfaced in recent years. For similar examples, see White, p. 136-137, fig. 116, and p. 138, fig. 121. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, recently found in the Nashville, TN area. Excellent condition with light wear to rim. H 2" ; Diameter 8".

19TH CENTURY PAINT DECORATED BLANKET CHEST (John R. Snedden Ltd.)

A beautifully paint decorated six board pine blanket chest of dovetailed construction, possibly Wythe County, Virginia, in Dutch urn and floral polychrome décor on dark blue/black ground, with dark red arch painted panels, on bracket feet, good wear, slight loss. Interior till. Repair to left back foot. Nice small size. Circa mid 19th century. Measures 38 inches wide; 20 3/4 inches high, and 18 inches deep.

Wythe County, Virginia painted blanket chest   circa 1800 (Charlton Hall)

Wythe County, Virginia painted blanket chest circa 1800, red sponge-decorated rectangular top above conforming case decorated with two astragal panels each featuring a large tulip below an arch flanked by two smaller tulips in a pitcher, upon molded apron on bracket feet. H24 1/2" W48" D21" 

Provenance: This piece descended to the current owner from his mother, Mrs. Ruth Dobyns Cornett, who purchased the piece from a Wythe County, VA resident in the late 1930's. 

Wythe Co. Virginia pie safe with urn and flower tins (Case Antiques)

Wythe Co. Virginia pie safe with urn and flower tins. Two drawer over two door safe with tins in front doors and sides. Poplar with red wash. See Magazine Antiques September 1984, PL III & Fig #13.

Wythe County, Virginia Pie Safe (Auction Flex)

Attributed to Rich Brothers, mid-19th century, poplar with hand-punched tins to front and sides featuring the floral urns characteristic of the region, raised on ring turned feet. 45 x 53 x 19 in. Lacking original paint. Estate of Vivian Dixon, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Wythe County, Va., Tilt-Top Stand with Birdcage (Cowan’s Auctions)’

ca 1760-1800, in butternut. One board top, baluster pedestal over arched legs, ending in snake feet; 26" high x 20" diameter. Provenance:  Ex John Dobson Estate, Knoxville, Tenn.; Ex Margaret R. Davis Estate; Ex

Collection of Samuel B. Stuffle, Kingsport, Tenn. Condition:  Old break in top, reset hardware, one foot pieced; old refinishing.