Banister-back armchair

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The carved crest rails on top of tall-back William and Mary–style chairs imparted an aura of importance to the sitter by providing a background of flourishes. The large scale and verve of the carving on this chair, with its stylized central leafage and play of repeating C-scrolls, are particularly effective.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art