Collection record · Objects & craft
Highboy
The collection record classifies this work as furniture and woodwork. It is dated 1700–1720. Recorded culture or place: America, Massachusetts, William and Mary style, 18th century.
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Highboy
- Date
- 1700–1720
- Culture / origin
- America, Massachusetts, William and Mary style, 18th century
- Materials and technique
- burled maple veneer with walnut herringbone bandings
- Dimensions
- Overall: 158.4 x 94 x 52.8 cm (62 3/8 x 37 x 20 13/16 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1986.207
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
One of the most notable developments in American furniture around 1700 was the introduction of "highboys" --- tall chests of drawers on high stands. These chests, often with bases having elaborately turned legs connected by a framework of stretchers, resemble closely English examples of the late 1600s during the reign of William and Mary. The decoration consists almost entirely of thin layers, or veneers, of richly patterned wood. These veneers were cut from burls (tumorlike growths on trees) and then carefully assembled and glued to create symmetrical patterns like those seen on the front of this highboy. The brass pulls on the drawers are typical of this period and may be original.
FOLLOW THE SOURCE
Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · Gift of Gordon D. Meals and Jean F. Meals in memory of Moselle T. Meals · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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