Virginia Federal Cherry Chest Chases Top Price At Leland Little – Antiques And The Arts Weekly

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — Leland Little Auctions conducted a 466-lot sale of objects from the estate of the late Dr Larry Southworth of Fredericksburg, Va. The auction house described Southworth as a “consummate collector of Southern material,” and president Leland Little shared that “He had a passion for life, for music, for guitars, for good wine…but his love was antiques.” Achieving the sale’s highest price — $30,000 including buyer’s premium — was a circa 1807 Virginia Federal cherry chest signed by William Walker, attributed to Mecklenburg County, Virginia. With bird’s eye maple veneer and yellow pine secondary, this chest measured 38 inches high by 41¾ inches wide and was acquired by Southworth from Bill Beck Antiques in Fredericksburg. More furniture, folk and Americana highlights will follow in a later issue.