Collection
American Decorative Art
The American decorative art collection holds many stories about the inseparability of art from daily life.
The American decorative art collection at PEM embodies the essential human instinct to create meaning and beauty in the world around us.
American decorative art encompasses works of glass, ceramics, wood, metalwork, and fiber arts made throughout the Americas by artists from many cultures and nations. The collection is especially strong in the diverse artistic and cultural heritage of Essex County, Massachusetts, including early American furniture, pottery, architectural fragments and even toys. The range and depth of these historical materials reflect the visionary collecting strategy launched in 1821, when the museum became among the first in the country to acquire decorative arts objects made in the Americas. Reflecting the legacy of many generous donors, PEM’s American decorative art holdings now spans the early 1600s to the present, with iconic and fascinating artworks featured in several ongoing installations and historic houses.
At PEM, American decorative art is a capacious category. Many objects, like the seventeenth-century armchair carved with fantastical human figures by Ipswich joiner Thomas Dennis, creatively blend artistry with everyday functionality. Modern and contemporary additions to the collection, like the dazzling, sculptural glass bowls by Toots Zynsky are experimental works of craft and design made using traditional decorative art mediums. Some decorative arts at PEM were made to be rare and costly, for example the gilded and veneered dressing chest Thomas Seymour made for Elizabeth Derby West, daughter of the first millionaire in the United States. Others were made to be owned by a broad socioeconomic range of people, for example the stoneware jug by Thomas Commeraw, the free Black entrepreneur-potter based in New York City.
The American decorative art collection at PEM embodies the essential human instinct to create meaning and beauty in the physical world around us. This innate drive is shared by artists and craftspeople free and enslaved, trained and self-taught, historical and contemporary. Each object also vividly illustrates the evolution of taste in the Americas, how global commerce, migration, and cultural exchange continuously shape, and are shaped by, what people want. Revealing dramatic differences and surprising continuities across time and place, PEM’s American decorative arts holds many stories about the inseparability of art from daily life.
Highlights from this collection
ON VIEW
Side chair, 1763–68
Nathaniel Gould (1734–1781, United States), Side chair, 1763–68. Mahogany and reproduction upholstery. Gift of John H. Ricketson, 1961. 130002.
Talavera Poblana Basin, 1700–1730
Artists in Mexico, Talavera Poblana Basin, 1700–1730. Tin-glazed earthenware. Museum purchase, in honor of Dr. H. A. Crosby Forbes, made possible by the generosity of many donors, 2019.9.1.
Cabinet, constructed 1874, altered 1937
Artist in Virginia and Mary Scheier (1908–2007, United States), Cabinet, constructed 1874, altered 1937. Walnut. Museum purchase, 2023.46.1.
Brooch, 1910
Tiffany & Company (1837–present, United States), Brooch, 1910. Gold, chrysoprase. Gift of Jody Sataloff in memory of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Sataloff, 2023.31.2.
Sampler, late 1700s
Artist in Mexico, Sampler, late 1700s. Cotton and silk. Gift of Dr. E. D. Lovejoy, 1937. E22846.
Dwarf Clock, 1790
Samuel Mulliken (1761–1847, United States), Dwarf Clock, 1790. Mahogany and pine, brass movement. Museum purchase, 1994. 137713.
Valuables cabinet owned by Joseph and Bathsheba Pope, 1679
James Symonds (b. 1633, modern-day United States), Valuables cabinet owned by Joseph and Bathsheba Pope, 1679. Oak, maple, iron, and paint. Museum purchase, made possible by anonymous donors, 2000. 138011. Photo by Dennis Helmar.
Pictorial Sampler, 1783
Mary Richardson (1772–1824, United States), Pictorial Sampler, 1783. Silk, linen. Gift of Lucy L. Caller, 1938. 123559.
Chimneypiece from the Simon Forrester house, 1791
Artists from the North Shore, Massachusetts, Chimneypiece from the Simon Forrester house, 1791. Carved and painted pine. Gift of Francis Shaw, 1924. 117596. Photo by Dennis Helmar.
Velocipede, 1855–1865
Artists in the United States, Velocipede, 1855–1865. Wood, paint, metal. Gift of Frank D. Hutchinson, 1908. 101303.
pear, 1807
Samuel McIntire (1757–1811, United States), and Michele Felice Cornè (1752–1845, United States), pear, 1807. Painted pine, iron. Gift of J. Tucker and T. Pickering, 1821. 106944. Photo by Dennis Helmar.
Side chair, 1763–68
Nathaniel Gould (1734–1781, United States), Side chair, 1763–68. Mahogany and reproduction upholstery. Gift of John H. Ricketson, 1961. 130002.
Dressing chest, about 1810
Thomas Seymour (1771–1848, United States), Carving attributed to Thomas Wightman (1759–1827), Dressing chest, about 1810. Mahogany, bird’s-eye maple, satinwood veneer, brass, and glass. Gift of Miriam and Francis Shaw Jr., 1935. 122350.
Great chair, about 1670
Thomas Dennis (1638–1706, modern-day United States), Great chair, about 1670. Oak. Gift of Robert Brookhouse, 1821. 108886.
Jug, 1800–1819
Thomas W. Commeraw (1771–1819, United States), Jug, 1800–1819. Salt-glazed stoneware and cobalt. Museum purchase, 1911. 103074.
Isabella, 2003
Toots Zynsky (b. 1951, United States), Isabella, 2003. Filet de verre. Gift of Carl and Betty Pforzheimer. 2022.6.230. © Toots Zynsky. Photo by Richard P. Goodbody.
Teapot in Hand, 2003
Michelle Erickson (b. 1960, United States), Teapot in Hand, 2003. Porcelain, stoneware, tin-glazed earthenware, and gold leaf. Museum purchase, 2003. 138410.AB. © Michelle Erickson.
Coffee service, 1998. Silver
Michael Banner (b. 1939, United States) and Maureen Banner (b. 1946, United States), Coffee service, 1998. Silver. Museum purchase in honor of the Museum's Bicentennial Year, 1999. 137986.1-3AB, 4.
Loans and acquisitions
PEM is committed to providing the broadest possible access to its collection through the loan of objects for educational and scholarly purposes. Learn how to request a loan from the museum’s collection.
Keep exploring
Blog
Stories of Salem, From A to Z
5 Min read
Blog
A 70-year odyssey of collecting
3 min read
Blog
More than 90 influential artists represented in new studio glass acquisition
6 min read
Blog
Stories of opulence and influence
5 min read
