Chest of drawers

John Townsend

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The voluptuous shells and shapely blocked drawer fronts of this bureau table, referred to as block-and-shell, became closely associated with　cabinetmakers in Newport. Townsend expertly sawed and carved down thick mahogany boards to shape the drawer fronts and applied shells. The fashion for mahogany furniture in Europe and the Americas caused irreparable ecological damage to the Caribbean islands as vast forests　were cleared to supply the trade and cultivate cash crops like sugar.　 John Townsend was perhaps the greatest master of block-and-shell furniture, the signature style of Rhode Island cabinetmakers. This chest is one of eight known case pieces that he signed or labeled. Two of the pieces, including this one, are dated 1765; the others date from around 1790, suggesting how long-lived this style was. All are remarkably alike in overall design, decorative detail, and construction.

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