Trammel

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The trammel allowed a cook to adjust the cooking temperature by either raising or lowering vessels hanging above the fire. The tool consists of two permanently joined hooks that slide vertically and lock into place at frequent intervals. The device would be suspended from a lug pole placed high inside the fireplace.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art