AN OAK SCHRANK, PROBABLY MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, CIRCA 1775 the moulded cornice above a plain frieze and geometric moulding, the panelled front and sides with two cupboard doors enclosing a fitted interior on four short drawers, shaped base and bracket feet. 212cm high, 190cm wide, 58cm deep Provenance: Dawesfield House, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA Lots 92 - 175 form part of the original contents of Dawesfield, Lewis Lane, Ambler, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania - an iconic American farmhouse built by Abraham Dawes and by descent through generations of the female line. It served as the Revolutionary Headquarters of General George Washington from 20th October until 2nd November, 1777. Philadelphia was one of the foremost centers of cabinetmaking in early America and a cosmopolitan city. Following the immigration of Germans to American in the seventeenth century, the popularisation of German design concepts such as the Schrank typified the emergence of a distinct local vernacular culture of immigrant craftsmanship in Pennsylvania. Schranks were common pieces of furniture in southern Germany from the seventeenth century onward and the design predictably found its way to Philadelphia. Their large surface area facilitated the application of veneers, or freehand painted decoration. Traditional Schrank design used one side of the cabinet for hanging clothes, and the other for shelves and drawers. This lot is likely to have been used by George Washington during his stay in Dawesfield in 1777.