NORFOLK, VA -- A furnishings collection valued at up to $250 million has been promised to the National Gallery of Art. The 200 furnishings objects are part  of a collection held by the Kaufman Family Foundation of Norfolk, VA. A portion of the collection  was viewed by more than 350,000 people at a 1986-1987 exhibition at the gallery.

That showing included American furniture made between 1690 and 1840. Included were chairs, desks, tables, high chests, mirrors, clocks, and sconces from the regional style centers of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Newport, and Charleston, collected by Mr. and Mrs. George M. Kaufman over a period of 25 years. Furniture makers included Thomas Seymour, John Goddard and John Townsend, as well as unknown wood craftsmen from the pre-revolutionary period.