Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
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.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
153240
label
Highboy
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
153240
contentType
object
title
Highboy
description
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.
date
1700–1720
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60757097
genreSpecific
Furniture and woodwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 158.4 x 94 x 52.8 cm (62 3/8 x 37 x 20 13/16 in.)
cul
America, Massachusetts, William and Mary style, 18th century
accession
1986.207
Source extras
tec
burled maple veneer with walnut herringbone bandings
tombstone
Highboy, 1700–1720. America, Massachusetts, William and Mary style, 18th century. Burled maple veneer with walnut herringbone bandings; overall: 158.4 x 94 x 52.8 cm (62 3/8 x 37 x 20 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Gordon D. Meals and Jean F. Meals in memory of Moselle T. Meals, 1986.207
collection
Furniture
formerAccessionNumbers
1257.1974
citations
citation
Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1986.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 74, no. 2 (February 1987): 38–79.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 59; Mentioned: p. 62, no. 43
citation
Adams, Henry. <em>What's American about American art?: a gallery tour in the Cleveland Museum of Art. </em>Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2008.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 34 - 35
creditline
Gift of Gordon D. Meals and Jean F. Meals in memory of Moselle T. Meals
galleryDonorText
Leigh and Mary Carter Gallery
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:54:47.225000
sourceId
153240
dept
Decorative Art and Design
coll
Furniture
med
burled maple veneer with walnut herringbone bandings
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
79b7d982781589db