A Carved and Painted Wood Valuables Box with Masonic Interest

Arthur Joseph Pennock (1862-after 1948), Jamestown, New York, 1909

carved to show a turtle to lid, with frog handles to the base; also showing an owl, centipedes, birds of paradise, and a monkey pulling the tail of a parrot. fitted with a removable trinket box to the interior incised with the all-seeing eye, the flaming urn, and a Masonic cipher reading, THOU SHALT NOT STEAL to the hinged lid, further incised by its maker.
the underside inscribed in pencil, This Box Was Made And Carved And Painted By AJ Pennock At Jamestown N.Y. 1909 Was Born July 5th 1868 At York Mills, Canada ONT.
there is a secret compartment hidden behind the vertical divider to the interior with a paper label reiterating the information on the trinket box.
Height 5 1/4 x width 14 1/2 x depth 6 inches.

A Canadian by birth, Pennock emigrated to the United States in 1888. According to the 1910 Federal Census, at the time this box was constructed, he lived in Jamestown, New York, and was engaged as a "carrier" in the wood industry.

This lot is located in Cincinnati.

In overall fine and stable condition. Minor surface wear and scratches consistent with age. Each centipede with small losses to antennae and two with repairs to multiple legs. One cattail missing, and the one reglued. One leaf loose and another cracked.

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Please contact the Auction Specialist for details.

Ben Fisher

Managing Director, Furniture and Decorative Arts

[email protected]312.447.3270

Mr. Fisher rejoined the firm in 2019 after working as a specialist in the American Furniture and Folk Art department at Sotheby’s New York. His areas of expertise include 18th, 19th, and 20th century American, Continental, and English furniture, decorative and folk art. Before coming to Hindman in 2013, Mr. Fisher worked in European Furniture and Decorative Arts in Philadelphia. He began his career working for a prints dealer focusing on works from the 16th through the 20th centuries.

Leah Vogelpohl

AVP, Specialist, American Furniture, Folk, and Decorative Arts

[email protected]513.666.4960

Ms. Vogelpohl joined the firm in 2013 as a cataloger in the American and European Furniture and Decorative Arts department. She became a department specialist in 2017, focusing on American decorative arts and silver. She received a BA from the College of Charleston and an MLITT in Art History from the University of Glasgow.

Katie Benedict

Associate Specialist, Furniture & Decorative Arts

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The Donald F. Moylan, M.D. Collection of American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts, Part I

A Carved and Painted Wood Valuables Box with Masonic Interest

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