Chest
Twentieth-century American collectors prized the distinctive eighteenth-and early-nineteenth-century pottery, fraktur, and furniture made by immigrants of Switzerland, the Palatinate, and the Upper Rhine Valley of Germany, who had settled throughout southeastern Pennsylvania. A sampling of this Pennsylvania German "folk art" later appeared in the Index of American Design, a Federal Arts Project of the New Deal era, which helped to popularize aesthetics among modern collectors and artists. The unicorn and men-on-horseback design on this painted chest are motifs often depicted on marriage chests created in Berks County.
Artwork Details
- Title: Chest
- Date: ca. 1780
- Geography: Made in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States
- Culture: American
- Medium: Yellow pine, tulip poplar
- Dimensions: 28 5/8 x 52 1/2 x 23 in. (72.7 x 133.4 x 58.4 cm)
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1923
- Object Number: 23.16
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
1740–60
ca. 1780
1710–30
1700–1730
1695–1720
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Free to download
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.