High chest of drawers

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The striking maple burl veneers that create a pattern of arches draw immediate attention to the upper front of this high chest. A burl is a dome-shaped growth on the trunk of a tree that is sliced though to make veneer.

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