A Shaker pine schoolhouse cupboard built in Mount Lebanon, New York circa 1840 was the highlight of a sale of furniture produced by the sect at Skinner in Boston on June 15.

The lot sold for $110,700 against an $80,000 high estimate, an increase of 38.3%.

The cupboard was built by a Shaker community in the 1840s

It's thought to have been made for a local school and features the minimalist good looks that made Shaker furniture a natural source of inspiration for modern designers.

Scholar John Kassay featured the cupboard in a detailed study of the medium, commenting: "The arrangement of the graduated drawers and panelled doors on this exceptionally tall cupboard-chest is harmoniously elegant."

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