Plateau

Benjamin Halsted

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Table centerpieces constructed of silver and mirrored glass were rarely made in America; only three are known today, one of which is in the American Wing’s collection (see 1993.167). This octagonal example marked by the New York silversmith Benjamin Halsted displays the clean, spare lines of Neoclassical design. Its eight cast feet are soldered to a sheet copper base, onto which are pinned engraved silver borders and a simple inner molding that secures the mirrored expanse. The twisted wire handles were added later to facilitate lifting and carrying. Benjamin Halsted is best known for his short-lived partnership with New York silversmith Myer Myers. Halsted's mark, which appears primarily on flatware, is seldom encountered on objects of this scale and sophistication. According to family tradition, the plateau was made for Daniel Crommelin Verplanck (1761-1834, see 49.12), eldest son of Judith Crommelin and Samuel Verplanck, whose household furnishings are exhibited in the Museum's Verplanck Room (Gallery 718).

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