Carriage cloth, probably made for the Cavendish family, Dukes of Devonshire

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Signature Conveyance Historically called a Box Cloth or Hammer Cloth, this would have been draped over and around the driver’s seat of a horse-drawn carriage. Splendid statement of prestige- a contemporary urged them to be “as handsome as you please”- it is adorned with silvered metal lace, its boldly legible C monogram honoring the family conveyed within. Open to the elements, the woolen fabric was doubly advantageous supporting a rich, red dye and providing a warm covering for the coachman; it was likely protected by an oil cloth in bad weather.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art