Turkey-work chair

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The great rarity of this chair lies in the original wool Turkey-work that covers its seat and back. “Turkeywork” refers to a type of woven fabric with a knotted-and-cut wool pile that was made in England in imitation of Turkish carpets. Used for chairs, cushions, and table coverings, the fabric was exported in matching sets for chairs. Decorative fringe once covered the row of nails around the seat and back. Simple chair frames of this sort were also commonly upholstered in leather or plain wool fabric.

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