Tieback
Unknown Artist
1810–25
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
6 3/8 x 2 13/16 in. (16.2 x 7.1 cm)
Classification
Tieback
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1963
Accession Number
63.17.6
Art Historical Context
This elegant bronze tieback, crafted by an unknown American artist between 1810 1825, exemplifies the refined decorative arts of the Federal period Measuring just 6⅜ x 2⅞ inches, it was designed as functional hardware to secure curtains in affluent homes, blending utility with neoclassical ornamentation. Its compact form and likely cast construction highlight the era's embrace of classical motifs—think subtle echoes of urns, eagles, or acanthus leaves—symbolizing the young republic's admiration for ancient Greece and Rome. Bronze, a premium medium at the time, allowed for intricate detailing ...