SOAP HOLLOW PAINT DECORATED CHEST OF DRAWERS ,JOHN SALA

An Original ,Gorgeous Paint Decorated Chest Of Drawers Made ,and Signed By "John Sala" ( 1819-1882)  ,Somerset County ,Pennsylvania In the area called "Soap Hollow" by Mennonite and Amish settlers. The name Sopa Hollow came from the Soap that was made there ,and was the best money could buy. .John Sala was working there from 1846 to 1859.  If you're familiar in any way with the Precision Cabinetmakers of Soap Hollow ,You'll recognize the Name John Sala ,who is considered the Patriarch ( the Best of the Best !!! ) of the 7 Known makers of that valley. Of the approx. 280 recorded examples of known pieces ,there are only 76 ,known to be signed ,and only a handfull of pieces signed by John Sala have been found. This is one of them.To have a piece of Soap Hollow in your Home made by John Sala ,is truly and Honor ,not to mention a great investment. It you buy a piece for paint Content ,it just doesn't get any better than this.  It has a solid background ,and has never been in an Auction. This is the first time it has been exposed to any kind of public bidding venue. The Signature is clearly visible on the front ,from 5 -10 feet away ,you don't have to get up close with a magnifying Glass and try and figure out who the maker is, I can easily read it at about 20 feet . It is one of the earlier pieces produced in the Soap Hollow Valley ,and is clearly dated on each end panel on the Black Field ,it also had the initials of the person it was made for " Ca. Eash" ( Cassandra Eash) and is signed in her hand on the back Panel ,along with the Date "1854". It measures 53" high to the top of the Scrolled Backboard ,x 37 " wide x 20 " deep.  The Condition is simply outstanding. It is As fine or finer than any I have seen sold in the last several years ,or any that is currently for sale,anywhere !!!!!!!!! It has NO Gouges ,Noticeable Nicks,or Scrapes !!!!!!!!!! The Stenciling is about as good as it was when it was Painted By Mr. Sala. The Background Paint is the Drop Dead Gorgeous "Chinese Red" ,with Hand Graining over that. The trim around the drawers is a light Yellow. All the drawers have their original Butternut Wood Keyhole Escutcheons and Locks. The Stenciling on the ends is A Flower Pot ,With Flowers ,and a Star on each side, along with Tulips and Acorns.  The Front of the Chest has Flowers on each end Vertical rail ,with a enclosed Star just above each Foot. The Original Scalloped Back Board has a Center Star ,with 4 Hex Stars, and is held in place with the original Hand   Cut Nails ,and has Stars at each end. The Chest shows only very mild wear ,and NO abuse of any kind. The Paint retention is at about 99%. There is some mild loss of Black Paint from shoetip wear on the Original Turned Spike Feet ,the feet also show no Tip Wood loss from sliding wear. In the 1860 ,the Soap Hollow Chests took on a Cumbersome Empire look ,and this is most noticeable by the Rounded Top 3 Drawers ,and a wider Case. This one ,being an earlier piece had Simple ,Clean and attractive lines with a very crisp look. The Woods used in the Chest are Cherry and Poplar . The Glass Knobs are original to the Chest ,Porcelain or Wood are also correct ,although Porcelain didn't show until a few years after this one was made. Some of the Holding screws have been replaced ,this happens form them rusting ,and snapping when the knobs are accidently turned.  The Top right Drawer has some dividers for Jewlery and Hankies. This is a PRISTINE ,near Perfect Chest of Drawers ,and there is Nothing to pick apart on it. If you're in the market for a Soap Hollow Folk Art Masterpiece ,look no futher !!!!!!!!!!!! Soap Hollow Furniture is climbing rapidly in value, and are among the best investments going. If you have a  Newborn ,and bought this as an investment for College ,in 20 years or so ,it would most likey have accumulated enough value to pay for a good School ,and have enough left over to buy a very dependable car. Forget Gold ,Money markets ,and Savings accounts . This is a safe place for your money ,and it's a great piece of Americana to look at while it makes money for you. This piece is in the same class or better ,than a similar Chest of Drawers Brought ( 134.000.00 ) a few years ago ,at Auction. There is a Very Fair reserve on it ,along with a "Buy It Now" ,and the bidding starts at just one penny. I have it insured for 255,000.00, it is absolutely irreplaceable .If you're the high bidder ,you will have entered into a legally binding contract ,and will be expected to follow thru with payment. NO Pay Pal . A deposit of 1/3 of the selling price is due in 3 days of the closing ,and the balance is due in 4 Days after that. Again ,I 'll stress this is at the top of it's class in Quality ,Paint retention ,an condition. I can't recall of any better example in a Museum ,or private collection, THERE IS NO FINER EXAMPLE IN EXISTENCE !! I can't ship it ,and it would be best ot have it picked up in York ,PA. but I can put you in touch with shippers who can carefullly deliver it in the Continental U.S. I'm using a 10 Day format ,to give any interested party the time to personally inspect it, or feel free to have your agent do it, if you can't make it. No second chance offers. I never do them. Once the bidding goes over 15,000.00 ,you'll need to have a credit card on file with E-Bay ,their rule ,not mine. Good Luck to all the bidders , this is an extremely rare opportunity to own  an exceptional example o Pennsylvanai Painted Folk Art .

Two Bidders have looked at this Chest of Drawers ,and both indicated it was better than descrobed in the Ad. One even hugged it like it was a long lost relative. It is one of the best hedges against inflation you'll ever find. The Stock and bond markets are too risky , this is a very solid place to invest your money !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I repeat ,there are no known, finer examples of a Signed Soap Hollow Chest of Drawers than this .

The Surface has a nice hand worn ,smooth Patina, There is no Alligatoring ,except on the Black Side Panels ,and some trim ,and there is it only very mild. There is no hand worn in grunge on any of the Painted surfaces. The Chinese Red Color is very bright ,and very vibrant . It is ,for it's 144 years of existence ,a stunning piece of Art !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Chest Of Drawers has all the "Bells and Whistles"you could possible ever want on an investment piece of American Folk Art, Outstanding condition, It is noticeably signed by it's maker ,and he was unquestionably the best ,it has not only the owners initials but her name signed on the back ,and the date in her handwriting. With little effort ,you could trace this back to the area ( pin pointed)  it was made in Soap Hollow .

If you're in the market ,for an important piece of American Folk Art ,of Pristine Quality, I would mention ,that you may never in a lifetime, see another piece as fine as this, and at the reasonable reserve that is offered .

The Upper 2 Drawers both have their Poplar Wood locking springs intact ,this is very rare to see. As the drawer slides in ,they spring downwards and won't let the drawer open, You have to open the drawer beneath and push up to depress them ,so the drawer will open, most of these were snapped off early on .

I jusr recieved a notice from E-Bay ,that there were 2 bid cancellations, one was from a bidder hitting the wrong numbers ,understandable ,since I have done this at least once, the other was from an inactive account ,and was cancelled by E-Bay ,called an "Administrative Cancellation". Please be careful when bidding . The activity has been astromical so far ,and I'll be glad to answer any questions you may have. My thanks to everyone who has looked at ,and placed bids on this extroadinary piece.

If you'd like payment terms other than stated in the ad, please feel free to discuss that with me before the sale closes.