Star of Bethlehem Quilt

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

As is most typical of the Star of Bethlehem pattern, this quilt has a large central star whose rays extend to the quilt’s edges. Four small complete stars serve as the corner blocks, and four half stars fill the spaces on the sides. Although made in the nineteenth century, all of the fabrics remain fresh and vibrant. The dark blue ground fabric is particularly effective—evoking the night sky and setting off the brilliant multicolored stars.

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