Banister-back chair

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The unusual carved crest rail, banister back, cane seat, and “Spanish” front feet combine to make this one of the most dynamic examples of the William and Mary–style banister-back side chair. The carving on the crest rail is reminiscent of engraved cartouches on contemporary silver, which were indebted to strapwork ornament found in European Baroque design sources. The back’s split banisters were made by gluing together two pieces of wood, shaping the block on a lathe, and then separating it into two pieces again.

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