Chest of Drawers

John Goddard

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This chest is one of a group of Newport pieces distinguished by their bold serpentine shapes and solid forms. The serpentine corner posts, raised-pad rear feet, and claw-and-ball front feet are similar to those on documented pieces by the cabinetmaker John Goddard (1724–1785). The curvilinear case and conforming marble top are unusual for eighteenthcentury American furniture and resemble those of French Louis XV–style commodes.

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