The Met Masterpieces Hiding in Plain Sight

You could visit The Met’s American Wing a thousand times and still stumble upon something you’ve never noticed before. This distinguished Museum department holds stewardship over some 20,000 works of art, from monumental paintings to miniature masterpieces by craftspeople of diverse backgrounds who lived between the colonial and early modern periods of American history.

Installation view of Gallery 760 featuring Washington Crossing the Delaware. Emanuel Leutze (American, b. Germany, 1816–1868). Oil on canvas. 149 x 255 in., 1851. Gift of John Stewart Kennedy, 1897 97.34 | © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

 

Triumphs of the fine and decorative arts abound in the galleries, and period rooms provide a glimpse into American life through the centuries.

The Frank Lloyd Wright room in the American Wing | © 2023 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

 

Meanwhile, stately sculptures, eye-catching jewels, and shimmering gold, silver, glass, and ceramic vessels catch the natural light flooding the Charles Engelhard Court.

The Charles Engelhard Court | Photo by Brett Beyer / The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

With so many splendors vying for our attention, one could incidentally overlook the Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art, the American Wing’s open storage and installation space located in the mezzanine of the American Wing. 

Visible storage in the Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art

 

The Luce Center is teeming with treasures that supplement the artworks and objects on view in the main galleries. The collection is arranged by material—including painting, sculpture, furniture, glass, ceramics, and metalwork—and these categories are then organized by chronology and form.

Visible storage in the Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art

 

With the exception of light-sensitive pieces such as textiles and works on paper, most of what’s exhibited in the Luce Center remains on long-term view. This makes it an ideal resource for our designers, who scour the Museum's collection in search of head-turning pieces that can not only be reimagined into contemporary items, but appreciated in their original glory.

Side chair. Herter Brothers. Gilded wood and reproduction upholstery; ca. 1870. Purchase, Barrie A. and Deedee Wigmore Foundation Gift, 2012 2012.217.2

 

One such example in the Luce Center is an opulent side chair made by the renowned cabinetmaking firm Herter Brothers (German, active New York, 1864–1906). It was one of a pair fashioned around 1870 for the residence of the extremely wealthy industrialist William H. Vanderbilt, who eventually moved them to the boudoir of his sprawling new Fifth Avenue mansion spanning a whole city block between 51st and 52nd Street. 

Notable among the chair's luxurious details are the turned legs and ionic capitals, as well as the graceful swan forms at the crest rails.

A detail of Herter Brothers' side chair designed for William H. Vanderbilt

 

Vanderbilt commissioned Herter Brothers to decorate the entirety of his new residence, so they refreshed the existing chairs with different upholstery. The custom fabric, manufactured in France, exhibits nature motifs, such as water-lily blossoms and dragonflies, popular in Japanese art.

Our American Gilded Age jewelry picks up the striking gold-and-green palette of the chair, evoking the rich color of its updated upholstery with natural jasper stones.

American Gilded Age Drop Earrings

 

Of course, the American Wing at large has inspired numerous Met Store designs. Our Sublime Landscapes collection, which includes a large, luxurious scarf as well as home decor, honors the Hudson River School, the 19th-century group who celebrated the majestic Northeastern wilderness as a source of patriotism and pride.

Landscape—Scene from "Thanatopsis." Asher Brown Durand (American, 1796–1886). Oil on canvas, 39 1/2 x 61 in., 1850. Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1911 11.156
Sublime Landscapes Durand Oversize Oblong Silk Scarf

 

Then there's Louis Comfort Tiffany (American, 1848–1933), whose incomparable—and plentiful—creations inform so many of our best-selling scarves, stationery, and home accents.

The Louis C. Tiffany Peacock Feather Wool-Blend Shawl

 

Offering fascinating insight into one of the visionaries who brought Tiffany & Co. to unparalleled heights of originality and success, Collecting Inspiration: Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co. is a richly illustrated book edited by The Met's Medill Harvey, the Ruth Bigelow Wriston Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts and Manager of The Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art. It's the first study of Moore’s life and influence on the legendary brand, and it's available for purchase both in-store and online.

Moore and his extraordinary personal collection are the subject of a highly anticipated exhibition opening at The Met Fifth Avenue on June 9, 2024. 

Shop our full range of items inspired by the American Wing in-store and online.