Girandole

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This girandole mirror and its mate (1974.363.2) were made for the Albany townhouse of Stephen Van Rensselaer IV (1786–1868). Popular during the Federal period, girandole mirrors were often surmounted by eagle finials. Their name derives from the candle arms that extend from the frame, allowing the candlelight to reflect off the convex mirror and illuminate an entire room.

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