One of the world’s greatest collections of this art form in America can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In Europe, the Louvre and the Victoria and Albert Museum are the largest showcases of decorative arts.
American works at the Met, dating from the late 17th century through the early 20th century, include some 12,000 examples of furniture, silver, glass, pewterware, ceramics, and textiles. Among them-an outstanding collection of American stained glass featuring the innovative work of Louis Comfort Tiffany. Other highlights include outstanding examples of plastic art, such as blown and pressed glass vessels created by the New England Glass Company, Dorflinger Works, and Tiffany Studios; valuable furniture dating from 1820; and a number of late 19th-century ceramic and silver objects, including works by Paul Revere.
The ceramics collection features a wide range of materials, methods and makers, from American-German redware to Rookwood pottery. The Met’s textile collection features more than 100 quilts, 18th and early 19th century needlework, and fabrics designed by Candace Wheeler, America’s finest female fabric and interior designer of the period.
