Furniture Hardware

Art Historical Context

This elegant piece of furniture hardware, created by Henry Kellam Hancock between 1820 and 1830, represents the refined craftsmanship of early nineteenth-century American decorative arts. Made of gilt brass and measuring just over eight inches in length, it likely served as a drawer pull, escutcheon, or handle for a chest, desk, or sideboard. Such fittings were essential components of high-style furniture during the Federal and Empire periods, when American makers drew inspiration from classical motifs to convey elegance and sophistication in domestic interiors. Gilt brass was prized for its ability to mimic the appearance of solid gold at a more accessible cost, allowing cabinetmakers to enhance their work with luminous, durable ornament. Hancock’s design would have contributed both function and visual richness, catching the light in well-appointed parlors and dining rooms of the era. As part of the Metropolitan Museum’s American Wing, this object highlights how even small-scale metalwork played a vital role in shaping the aesthetic of the young republic’s homes.

About the Artist

Henry Kellam Hancock · 1816–1851

Henry Kellam Hancock (1788–1854) was a prominent American cabinetmaker based in Boston, Massachusetts, where he contributed significantly to the city's early nineteenth-century furniture trade. Son of Captain Belcher Hancock and Ann "Nancy" Susan Ackers, he entered the profession as a chairmaker around 1816 and transitioned to cabinetmaking by 1826, maintaining workshops on Orange Street from abou...