Furniture Hardware
1820–30
Medium
Gilt brass
Dimensions
3 1/16 x 2 1/8 in. (7.8 x 5.4 cm)
Classification
Furniture hardware
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Edward Hunting Smith, 1968
Accession Number
Inst.68.8.73
Art Historical Context
Nestled in The American Wing of the Metropolitan of Art, this exquisite *Furniture Hardware* by Henry Kellam Hancock (0–30) captures the refined craftsmanship of early 19th America. Fashioned from gilt brass—a luxurious medium where a thin layer of gold is over brass for enduring shine and elegance—this petite piece measures just 3 1/16 x 2 1/8 inches (7.8 x 5.4 cm). Likely a drawer pull or escutcheon, it would have adorned high-style furniture, blending functionality with decorative flair. Hancock, a skilled metalworker active in this era, contributed to the flourishing tradition of American...
About the Artist
Henry Kellam Hancock · 1816–1851
Henry Kellam Hancock (1788–1854) was a prominent American cabinetmaker based in Boston, Massachusetts, where he contributed significantly to the city's early nineteenth-century furniture trade. Son of Captain Belcher Hancock and Ann "Nancy" Susan Ackers, he entered the profession as a chairmaker around 1816 and transitioned to cabinetmaking by 1826, maintaining workshops on Orange Street from abou...