Painted Bent Wood Band Box
Attributed to New Market, VA or environs
Circa 1830
Yellow pine, paint.
Sewn closed with cotton thread, pegged bottom
Lined with paper; .
H: 4.5”; W: 9.5”; D: 6.5”
In both form and decoration, this charming band or pantry box relates to a group of painted bent wood boxes attributed to the Barb Family of Shenandoah County, Virginia. These boxes, as with many of the decorative arts of the Valley of Virginia, evidence strong traces of Germanic cultural heritage that strongly influenced the art of parts of Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Like the boxes of Jacob Stirewalt and blanket chests painted by Johannes Spitler, they are unique expressions of the the cultural cross currents of the Valley.
