Kast

Unknown

1690–1720 · Painted yellow poplar, red oak, white pine · The American Wing

Painted with large pendants of fruit in niches, this piece represents both a type of cupboard—and a form of decoration derived from Dutch prototypes. The ornament, executed in blue-gray, black, and white in a technique known as grisaille, simulates in paint the opulent Baroque carved pendants and festoons popular in the Netherlands during the second half of the seventeenth century on interior woodwork and furniture. Kasten were used for storage of linens, and the pomegranate and quince at the center of the door panels—symbols of fertility and marriage—suggest that this may have been a dowry piece.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1690–1720

Medium

Painted yellow poplar, red oak, white pine

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1909