Rowland Hall, a pivotal gallery in the new American wing, is now complete, with a scheduled opening in April 2009. With its exquisite vaulted ceilings, luminous skylights, richly colored walls and walnut flooring (some protective floor covering remains in place), it is a stunning showplace for the Museum’s collection of American works dating from 1700 to 1830.
Positioned in the center of the gallery is a freestanding wall that serves as a backdrop for American decorative arts and furniture. Shown here in a paper cutout is Chest-on-Chest, ca. 1760, attributed to Nathaniel Gould, the leading cabinetmaker of Salem, Massachusetts, in the third quarter of the eighteenth century.