This chest, originally owned by the Warland family of Cambridge, Massachusetts, appears at first glance to be English-made, given its broad proportions, walnut veneers, fluted and canted front corners, recessed inlaid shell, and "slider" (a pull-out shelf in the mid-section used for folding textiles and clothing). However, further analysis indicated that the piece was made of native woods, including American black walnut and eastern white pine. In addition, microanalysis proved that the pollen trapped in the hardened mixture of fats and dust in the crevices comes from trees, plants, and grasses characteristic of coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

---