This high chest of drawers appeared 25 years ago—in 1991—at a small but well-publicized auction house operated by Chris Mercurio, not far from the chest’s point of origin and the family from which it descended. It was the personal property of Mrs. Ruth Alan, a direct descendant of John Greene Sr., the grandfather of General Nathanael Greene, Commissary General to George Washington during the American Revolution.
John Greene was one of Roger Williams’ disciples and was granted lands south of Providence—precisely the area where this highboy was made. The auction included a mix of fine and ordinary items from Mrs. Alan’s estate. However, she consigned her silver separately to Christie’s, which notably included a silver caudle cup by Samuel Vernon, a renowned Newport silversmith.
Thanks to strong advertising in the major antiques journals, dealers from across the country attended the sale. I was particularly interested in the highboy. It featured trumpet legs—an early and exceedingly rare detail. Only a few such examples are known, especially when compared to the more common Queen Anne forms with cabriole legs ending in pad feet. Equally important was the piece’s provenance. I believe this is the only known trumpet-leg example with a direct line of descent from such an important American family. The genealogy of the Greene family is well-documented in The Greenes of Rhode Island by G.S. Greene and L.B. Clark (New York, 1903).
Among the crowd at the auction were many prominent dealers, including Arthur Liverant—arguably the top specialist in early Colonial furniture aside from Israel Sack in New York, whom he may have been representing. Also present was Jonathan Trace, a friend and silver dealer who occasionally handled furniture for our inventory.
It did not come cheaply. I paid a very strong price—there was simply no way I was going home without it. I suspect Arthur Liverant, as the underbidder and president of the Antique Dealers Association, may not have appreciated that outcome. The Association, a closed group, had denied me admittance, though our business was thriving independently via the internet. After the sale, Jonathan Trace came up to me and said, “Let the rest of us live…” A humorous comment, but it underscored the intensity of the competition. I paid my bill and left, though there were many other appealing items that didn’t quite reach the “must-have” threshold.
Years later, a grandfather clock from the same estate surfaced at a Skinner auction, and I acquired it as well.
In our records is a very encouraging note from Brock Jobe after he examined the highboy. He noted the use of local chestnut as the secondary wood and a swamp maple façade. We were particularly intrigued by the double drawers in the center of the base—an unusual feature. We did, however, find a similar example illustrated in Wallace Nutting’s American Furniture.
This was an exciting and historically significant acquisition, given its provenance. I ultimately decided to donate it to the Rhode Island Historical Society, where I serve as a trustee and as chairman of the Collections Committee. Although it is now part of their permanent collection, I still feel it emotionally belongs to mine—especially since it resides just a short distance from our own collection on the East Side of Providence. It is currently on exhibition at the John Brown House in a gallery that interprets an early rural Rhode Island “great room.”
Provenance:
John Greene (1686-1758) and Mary Greene (1687-1783) of Warwick, Rhode Island.
Thence by descent to Charles Henry Allen and Ellen Louise (Clapp) Allen, Howard Vernon Allen (1878-1969), Vernon Sterns Allen (1906-1983).
The Stanley Weiss Collection.
The genealogy of the Greene family is given in G.S. Greene and L.B. Clarke, The Greenes of Rhode Island. (New York, 1903)
Referenced: Yale University Rhode Island Furniture Archive #RIF5845
Height: 65 ¾ in. Width: 37 in. Depth: 19 ½ in.
Revised July 10th, 2025 6:48PM