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550889.txt | Section of panel from a naos
Late Period
522 B.C.?
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 127
The fragment from an openwork shrine panel depicts a goddess spreading her wings in protection of a small kneeling figure of a king. The king sits on a base decorated in the paneled palace-facade motif, and he offers a wedjat eye on a neb basket, the whole topped by a nefer sign. The wedjat eye is one of the 'great offerings' representing all offerings - like the round nu pot or the figure of the goddess Maat - and conveys that all good things are being rendered to the god by the king. The god in question is missing and would have been located in between this element and a mirroring element.
The fragment came into the collection with a second fragment of a wooden inlaid goddess that proved to match a shrine fragment in the Louvre. The Louvre fragment can be associated with the pharaoh Seheribre Pedubast, a king who led a rebellion against the Persian ruler Darius in probably 522 BC, that is, shortly after the Persian conquest of Egypt. Another panel of the same king exists in Bologna, and these are thought to come from the Memphite region where Seheribre attained a foothold, although he seems mainly to have operated in Dakhleh Oasis. The museum's panel shows some variations from the panels bearing the king's names, but then variations exist even between the dated panels. If the panels are not all necessarily closely contemporary creations, the glass colors, the cell forms, and style of the figures are in general accord.
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559113.txt | Big Daisy Mold
New Kingdom
ca. 1390–1352 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 120
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445248.txt | Textile Fragment with Addorsed Parrots and Griffins
early 13th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 454
This fragmentary textile displays a framework of undulating bands filled with a herringbone pattern, creating an overall ogival design. Each compartment encloses pairs of addorsed parrots and griffins, flanking a highly stylized palmette tree. Such pairings of animals and trees appear in earlier and contemporary Seljuq textiles from Iran. The prevalence of Seljuq-inspired iconography suggests manufacture in Seljuq, Iran. However, since fragments from a silk textile bearing identical decoration were found in Egypt, an Ayyubid attribution is more likely.
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452734.txt | Gilded Green Bottle
18th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 464
Square bottles of this type derive from Dutch and German molded vessels, which would have been imported after the Dutch East India Company established a trade factory in Gujarat in 1618. In the mid-18th century, a succesful glass factory was opened in Bhuj by Ram Singh Malam, a Gujarati craftsman who returned to India after spending time in the Netherlands. His patron, Maharao Lakha (r. 1741–60) was the ruler of the kingdom of Kutch, and this support resulted in the production of many fine glasswares in the region. This bottle may have been used as a perfume sprinkler and is ornamented with floral and leaf forms.
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37475.txt | Covered Jar with Four Lugs
Thailand (Si Satchanalai)
14th–ca. mid-16th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 250
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248537.txt | Terracotta rim of a cup with fern pattern and bands
Minoan
ca. 1800–1700 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 171
From Knossos, Crete
Part of rim, polychrome, fern pattern in white, and orange band.
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625510.txt | Worker Shabti of Henettawy (C), Daughter of Isetemkheb
Third Intermediate Period
ca. 990–970 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 126
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546033.txt | Jar
New Kingdom
ca. 1550–1295 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 117
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251066.txt | Carnelian scaraboid seal
Greek, Ionian
ca. 450–400 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 171
Wolf with tail between legs.
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249629.txt | Glass mosaic inlay
Egyptian, Roman
late 1st century BCE–early 1st century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 171
Semi-opaque turquoise blue ground; decoration in opaque yellow and red, and deep purple appearing black.
Square plaque, with sharp edges and corners; concave, uneven underside.
Symmetrical palmette and lotus bud motif arranged around a central four-petaled rosette, with a tall palmette at each corner.
Complete except for chips at two corners; upper side ground and polished; pitted surface bubbles, weathering and slight iridescence on underside and edges.
Square blue opaque block, flower pattern in red and black.
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207220.txt | Snuffbox
Factory
Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory
British
ca. 1760
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 538
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241275.txt | Terracotta statuette of a female votary carrying a hydria
Cypriot
late 5th–4th century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 171
The standing female figurine, carrying a hydria on her head, is mold-made and solid. The back is handmade, flat at the top, and concave from the level of the chest to the broken bottom edge.
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3693.txt | Figured flask
Keene Glass Works
American
1830–40
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 706
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256709.txt | Glass jug with indented body
Roman
4th–5th century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 171
Translucent honey brown; handle and trails in same color.
Rim folded over and in; flaring mouth; cylindrical neck, flaring slightly at base; sloping shoulder; cylindrical body with slightly convex side, then turned inwards to thick base, made by folding; low kick in bottom, with pontil scar at center; broad strap handle applied as a thick pad to edge of shoulder, drawn up and slightly outwards, then turned in horizontally, trailed onto edge of rim, and flattened by tooling above.
On body, nine deep vertical indents; one trail wound 1½ times around underside of mouth; another trail wound once horizontally around lower neck.
Intact; some large and elongated bubbles; faint weathering and iridescence on exterior, some soil encrustation, weathering, and iridescence on interior.
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329877.txt | Pataikos Amulet
Third Intermediate Period
ca. 1070–664 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 130
This elaborate Pataikos amulet depicts a male dwarf with a winged goddess on his back. His bow-shaped and bent legs stand slightly apart. Each foot rests on a small crocodile that faces straight at the viewer while the reptile’s body curves towards the back where the tails of both animals meet and overlap. The right foot and right crocodile are only partially preserved. The dwarf is naked and his genitals are shown below his protruding belly. His short arms are slightly bent and each hand rests on his stomach while firmly grasping a knife that is painted black. On his head he wears a tight cap. It is topped by a three-dimensional scarab-beetle, which is painted black as well.
The dwarf is shown three-dimensionally. On his back, but with a small gap in-between, is a winged goddess that is represented two-dimensionally. She stands upright and is facing right. She wears a long tight dress and lifts her arms up a little. Underneath her arms are bird wings that spread protectively towards the side of the dwarf. On her head are cow horns with a sun disk. In the space between the dwarf’s neck and the goddess’ head and headdress is a large loop for suspension.
Pataikos amulets were meant to protect the wearer from dangerous forces.
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6933.txt | Salad Plate
Union Porcelain Works
American
1885–87
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 774
Union Porcelain Works was one of the most important and inventive American porcelain manufacturers in the second-half of the nineteenth century. In addition to their imaginative works designed by the German-born artistic director, Karl H. L. Müller, the firm’s mainstay was the production of heavy porcelain hotel dinnerware. This extensive service was made by Thomas Carll Smith, head of the Union Porcelain Works, as a gift to his daughter, Pastora Forest Smith Chace. The neoclassical decoration of the gilt bellflower and basket motif is complimented by turquoise enamel. Unlike the firm’s more eccentric and lavish designs created for their display at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876, the pottery favored a more restrained classical style for their dinner services. This service descended in the Chace family.
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203046.txt | Wagtail (one of a pair)
Manufactory
Meissen Manufactory
German
Modeler
Johann Gottlieb Kirchner
German
1733
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 533
Porcelain birds have their origins in the princely tradition of maintaining collections of living animals and birds in menageries and aviaries, which were viewed as microcosms of the universe, and emblems of royal power and enlightenment. These collections often included exotic birds such as parrots, admired for their rarity, as well as more familiar native species.
In 1731 the Meissen manufactory began a new genre in European porcelain, producing several hundred life-size and near-life-size porcelain birds and animals, many destined for the Japanese Palace of Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony (1670–1733). To create them, factory modelers found inspiration in nature, looking both to living and stuffed specimens, as well as zoological illustrations and Asian porcelain precedents. The great Meissen modeler Johann Joachim Kändler is known to have copied from life the birds kept at the royal aviary at Schloss Moritzburg.
Surviving prints and drawings of the period indicate that porcelain birds, animals, and vases were placed on gilt wood brackets arranged in decorative, symmetrical patterns. An eighteenth-century English visitor to the Japanese Palace, Jonas Hanway, described this manner of display: "The long gallery in the second story had already two marble chimney-pieces, each adorned with near 40 very large pieces of porcelain, of birds, beasts, and vases, ranged to the height of above 20 feet in a most superb taste…."
[Elizabeth Sullivan, 2013]
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446999.txt | Carpet with Palm Trees, Ibexes, and Birds
late 16th–early 17th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 462
This carpet, with its pictorial depiction of trees, birds, and animals, is conceived like a textile with a repeat design in which each unit reverses the direction of the preceding one. The ibexes, Chinese mythological beasts called qilins, and animals in combat, are derived from Safavid Persian art, as is the border design of cartouches and star-shaped medallions with cloud bands. The palm tree, however, is a very Indian feature, as is the generally naturalistic drawing of the flora and fauna and the bright red color of the field. The relationship to Persian carpet design dates this example to the early Mughal period, soon after the first carpet workshops were established by the emperor Akbar in Lahore, Agra, and Fatehpur Sikri.
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626019.txt | Costume Armor and Sword in the Classical Style
Helmet includes original paper label of
Hallé
French
ca. 1788–90
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 376
Pageants in pseudoclassical dress were popular in Europe from the sixteenth through the eighteenth century. An elaborate costume of the kind displayed here may have been worn for a theatrical performance or a court festivity, such as a ball or carousel in which the theme was taken from classical mythology or history.
The embroidered tunic represents an embossed bronze cuirass of the type worn by high-ranking Roman officers. The stylized Greek helmet is richly decorated with mythological and allegorical figures. Inside the helmet is the original paper label that identifies the Parisian maker as Halle dit Mercier and advertises his ability to provide helmets, shields, masks, costumes, and scenery for any occasion.
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552046.txt | Uraeus for freize
Late Period–Ptolemaic Period
664–30 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 134
When a cobra is threatened, it raises its upper body and inflates its hood. In ancient Egypt the rearing cobra (also called an uraeus) was seen as protection and was also associated with a number of goddesses. Deities or royals often wear an uraeus on their foreheads as protection and to indicate their divine or royal status. A frieze of rearing cobras was often used as a protective and decorative element for furniture or architecture. The piece here and one like it (17.192.47) were possibly part of such a frieze.
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713908.txt | Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Attributed to
Makron
500–480 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 157
Interior, meander; Exterior, legs and tail of a satyr running to left, wearing an animal skin; leopard, with a frontal face, to left; foot and drapery of a figure to right; start of handle root
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1084.txt | Cabinet
Alexander Roux
French
ca. 1866
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 774
Until the mid-1870s, furniture styles in America were largely influenced by European, particularly French, taste. Style was disseminated by European design books and fashion periodicals; the great international exhibitions, beginning with the London Crystal Palace in 1851; and immigrant craftsmen who adapted their skills and artistic traditions to the American market. Alexander Roux, a French-born cabinetmaker active in New York from 1836 to 1881, was an ever tasteful proponent of the latest fashion, working in the 1840s in the Gothic Revival style, in the 1850s in the Elizabethan, Renaissance, and Rococo styles, and in the 1860s, as here, in the Néo-grec style. Néo-grec was an inventive combination of motifs from antiquity, the Renaissance, and the late-eighteenth-century Louis XVI style introduced in France and popularized by Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, during the Second Empire (1852–1870). The form of this cabinet is derived from the Italian Renaissance credenza, and its ornament, with delicate incising, gilt-metal mounts, rich marquetry panels, and porcelain plaques encircled by ormolu ribbons, is an eclectic combination of Louis XVI and classical motifs. Fragments of a German newspaper, the "New-Yorker Staatszeitung" dated September 22, 1866, were found behind one of the porcelain plaques and together with Roux's label, which gives the addresses for the showrooms he used between 1856 and 1867, provide the basis for dating of this piece.
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#3880. Cabinet
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510.txt | Betty Lamp
1700–1800
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 774
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555729.txt | Canopic jar
Middle Kingdom
ca. 1859–1640 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 109
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556208.txt | Scarab Inscribed for an Official
Middle Kingdom
ca. 1760–1670 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 109
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206116.txt | Slop bowl (part of a service)
Factory
Worcester factory
British
Factory director
Dr. Wall Period
ca. 1770
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 722
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19978.txt | Vase
Manufacturer
Grueby Pottery
Designed by
George P. Kendrick
ca. 1898–1909
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 707
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3863.txt | Funnel
American
1785–1820
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 774
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20121.txt | Chocolate Pot
Tiffany & Co.
Designed by
Charles Osborne
1879
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 706
This chocolate pot exemplifies the unprecedented innovation and creativity that characterized Tiffany & Co.'s work during the 1870s and 80s. Under the direction of Edward C. Moore (1827-1891), Tiffany's produced exquisitely wrought and highly original silver, which in turn attracted many of the finest craftsmen and designers to the firm. Indeed, Charles Osborne (1847-1920), who is credited with designing this chocolate pot, left his position as chief designer at one of Tiffany's competitors, the Whiting Manufacturing Company, in order to learn from and work with Moore at Tiffany's. The silver that resulted from this mentorship and collaboration is among the finest produced during the second half of the nineteenth century. The spiral motifs accenting the pot's body together with the masterfully chased leaves wrapping the spout are signatures of Osborne's work. The lifelike cast ornaments of crawfish and crabs further demonstrate technical virtuosity and inventive aesthetic sensibilities, as does the rich red color, the result of painstaking experimentation and innovative use of electrolytic technology to achieve new surface tones and effects. Moore and Osborne were inspired by Japanese objects; however, their work is in no way imitative. This striking chocolate pot makes clear why The Connoisseur celebrates Tiffany & Co. in an 1885 article entitled "Artistic Silverware" for having "raised the making of artistic silver to a height never reached to my knowledge by silversmiths in preceding ages."
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250350.txt | Fragment of terra sigillata
Roman
ca. 170–220 CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 169
Plant forms.
These fragments demonstrate how some producers of Roman fineware pottery in the Rhineland experimented with incised decoration inspired by that found on contemporary glassware.
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551567.txt | Inlay, female face
Ptolemaic Period–Roman Period
100 BC–100 AD
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 134
A mosaic glass technique allowed multiples of an image to be created: a figural or design composition was made by bundling colored glass canes, which were then drawn out into a long bar. The bar was then sectioned at right angles, probably by striking the bar with appropriate tools, to produce small inlay tiles. The tile would then be smoothed and polished on the face intended to appear outwards.
Such elements could also be used side by side to create repeating patterns. Or if the rod presented one half of an element that was symmetrical, such as a face, a tile and a reversed tile from the same rod could be put together to form a complete whole.
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549328.txt | Foundation Deposit Plaque
New Kingdom, Ramesside
ca. 1153–1147 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 122
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200567.txt | Geneviève-Françoise Randon de Malboissière (1740–1766)
Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne the Younger
French
1768
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 549
This portrait of the talented daughter of the financier Jean-Antoine Randon, sieur de Malboissière, is posthumous. Her garland includes rose laurel, alluding to a character named Laurette in a pastoral play written by her.
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548036.txt | Raised relief fragment
Late Period, Saite
664–610 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 130
see 23.3.468
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231962.txt | Bed valances and side curtains
French
ca. 1700
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 531
Stories from Ovid are depicted in the medallions; the secondary scenes represent the fables of Ovid and la Fontaine. In the valence above, Orpheus charms the wild beasts with his music, while to either side an episode from the fable of The Fox and the Stork unfolds. In the center of the left side, the fox receives his dinner guest, the stork, by serving a meal on a flat plate. In the center of the right side, the stork returns the invitation and trick, enjoying his supper from a long-neck bottle.
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557116.txt | Scarab Decorated with Scrolls
Second Intermediate Period
ca. 1700–1500 B.C. (Middle Bronze Age, MB IIB-IIC)
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 109
Scrolls and spirals –whether single or interlocking, or in combination with hieroglyphs or floral motifs– already decorate the earliest types of scarabs and are common throughout the first half of the second millennium B.C. While their meaning and source of inspiration remains unknown, scroll designs are also appealing to the eye. A wide variety of combinations, some of which more complex than others, is found on Egyptian scarabs of the Middle Kingdom and scrolls become particularly popular during late Dynasty 12 and Dynasty 13 (ca. 1850–1640 B.C.). While these designs continue to appear on scarabs in the Second Intermediate Period (ca. 1640–1550 B.C.) and on contemporary Canaanite imitations, details in the composition or on the scarab’s back or its legs allow the seal-amulet to be more precisely dated.
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210774.txt | Pietà
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
French
1864
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 552
Carpeaux here demonstrates an enduring admiration for the plangent heroism of Michelangelo, evinced earlier in the famous Ugolino and his Sons, conceived during his study years in Rome, of which the Metropolitan owns the marble finished in 1867. The government of Napoleon III kept Carpeaux busy with official projects, involving decorative sculpture and portraiture, but it is clear from the evidence of the private moments that he occasionally seized to sketch sacred subjects, as here, that he would have been one of the most powerful of all religious artists had he been freer to exercise this repertory. Mounding the clay pellets and pressing them into shape in mere seconds, his entire attention is on the Virgin Mary's maternal embrace, to the virtual exclusion of Christ's legs. A related drawing in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Valenciennes, is dated 1864.
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#79. Pietà, Part 1
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26550.txt | Collar Plate for a Helmet of Henry III of France (1551–1589)
French, probably Paris
ca. 1570
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 374
This collar plate belongs to a helmet (now in the Musée de l'Armée, Paris) that was made for the future Henry III of France (reigned 1574–89). The grotesque decoration in low relief is similar to that on the armor of Henry II of France also in the Metropolitan Museum's collection (acc. no. 39.121a–n).
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468494.txt | Andiron
French
late 14th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 307
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252547.txt | Bronze jockey-type helmet with cheek-guards
Etruscan
late 4th century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 170
Jockey-type helmet with an elaborately decorated finial and a diagonal braided pattern along the rim.
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22736.txt | Powder Flask
Joseph Cano
Spanish
ca. 1740–50
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 375
Cano worked for the Spanish kings Felipe V and Ferdinand VI. He was appointed royal gunsmith in 1749.
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503547.txt | Trompe de Chasse in D
Courtois père
1789–1801
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 680
Hunting horns are natural brass instruments (that is, without valves) and like bugles, sound only the limited sequence of notes in the harmonic series. This hunting horn is of the type called a trompe dauphine, which became the official hunting horn of the French court in 1729. As such, it was used until the French Revolution. Later, slightly smaller versions came into use.
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14284.txt | Salt
American
ca. 1830–40
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 774
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591025.txt | Worker Shabti of Henettawy (C), Daughter of Isetemkheb
Third Intermediate Period
ca. 990–970 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 126
See 25.3.19.
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306664.txt | Bernard. Paul, Auguste. 32 ans, né à Crest (Drôme). Employé. Excitation au meurtre, anarchiste. 11/2/94.
Alphonse Bertillon
French
1894
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 851
Born into a distinguished family of scientists and statisticians, Bertillon began his career as a clerk in the Identification Bureau of the Paris Prefecture of Police in 1879. Tasked with maintaining reliable police records of offenders, he developed the first modern system of police identification. The system, which became known as Bertillonage, had three components: anthropometric measurement, precise verbal description of the prisoner’s physical characteristics, and standardized photographs of the face.
In the early 1890s Paris was subject to a wave of bombings and assassination attempts carried out by anarchist proponents of "propaganda of the deed." One of Bertillon’s greatest successes came in March 1892, when his system of identification led to the arrest of an anarchist bomber who went by the name Ravachol (2005.100.375.348). The publicity surrounding the case earned Bertillon the Legion of Honor and encouraged police departments around the world to adopt his anthropometric system.
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437190.txt | The Farrier
Aert van der Neer
Dutch
early or mid-1650s
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 615
Van der Neer’s preoccupation with light effects in nature led him to paint dozens of nocturnal views. In this case the warm light of a forge and a bonfire set off the cool glow and reflections of the moon. Recent conservation treatment has revealed the buttery yellow of the moon and the bright orange glow of the forge.
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555067.txt | Funerary Cone of Wershu and His Wife Henet
New Kingdom
ca. 1550–1295 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 117
See 09.185.1
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254650.txt | Small terracotta jar with four handles
Minoan
ca. 1800–1750 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 151
Handled pot with black and white decoration.
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9396.txt | Vase
Designed by
Louis C. Tiffany
American
Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company
American
1893
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 774
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254888.txt | Terracotta hydria: kalpis (water jar)
Greek, Attic
ca. 510 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 171
On the shoulder, two warriors in combat
The shape and the glossy black glaze contribute decisively to the elegance and power of the hydria. The combat on the shoulder, probably deliberately anonymous, evokes a heroic encounter from the epic cycle of poems concerning the Trojan War of which only the Iliad and the Odyssey survive. The palmette ornament in the handle zone represents a motif popular with red-figure vase-painters of the generation contemporary with Euphronios.
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256047.txt | Bronze necklace spiral
Italic, Villanovan
9th–8th century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 171
Openwork spiral with three concentric circles linked at 4 points and flat on underside.
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548750.txt | Bead Cap for a Menat Necklace
New Kingdom
ca. 1550–1525 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 117
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559885.txt | Scarab Inscribed with the Name of the God Amun-Re
New Kingdom
ca. 1479–1458 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 116
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251728.txt | Lead wreath
Greek, Laconian
6th–5th century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 171
Small flat votive figurines of cast lead have been found in great quantities at the ancient sanctuaries of Laconia; over one hundred thousand, dating from the seventh century B.C. to the Classical period, were dedicated to the goddess Artemis Orthia in Sparta.
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206670.txt | Corpus from a Crucifix
Manufactory
Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory
German
Modeler
Franz Anton Bustelli
Swiss
ca. 1755
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 533
While Franz Anton Bustelli (Swiss, d. 1763) is best known for the commedia dell’arte figures he produced at the Nymphenburg factory (see 1974.356.802), he modeled a very small number of religious figures that are considered his finest and most sophisticated sculptural works. These figures of the crucified Christ, the Mourning Virgin, Saint John, and the Mater Dolorosa are all the more remarkable for being among the earliest works that he made at Nymphenburg. The skill and expressiveness with which they are modeled suggest Bustelli was an experienced sculptor when he arrived at the factory in 1754, although nothing is known of his career prior to that point. It has been suggested by Peter Volk that Bustelli may have trained with the Munich sculptor Johann Baptist Straub (German, 1704–1784),[1] but no evidence has come to light that confirms this plausible hypothesis.
This figure of the crucified Christ, often referred to as a Corpus figure, was modeled by Bustelli in 1755.[2] Bustelli’s figure of the crucified Christ not only is depicted with unusual detail and realism but exhibits a pronounced and graceful attenuation that accentuates its expressiveness. The musculature is clearly delineated, the veins protrude, and the fingers and toes are closely observed. Christ’s face, with its heavy-lidded but sightless eyes and open mouth, is the emotional focus of the composition, and the prominent and realistic crown of thorns heightens the impact of the imagery. The sense of stillness conveyed by the limp, hanging body is contrasted with the animation of the drapery around Christ’s loins. The complex folds and the design of the billowing lower section suggest that Bustelli may have had experience specifically in sculpting wood before joining the Nymphenburg factory.[3]
The Corpus would have been mounted on a cross almost certainly made of wood, and the figure would have been attached through the holes that Bustelli has incorporated in Christ’s hands and feet, in keeping with traditional Crucifixion iconography.[4] It can be assumed that a porcelain plaque, with the letters INRI, would have been mounted on the top of the cross, and a porcelain skull and crossbones would have been placed at the foot of the cross.[5] Intended to accompany the Corpus figure, Bustelli’s figures of the Virgin Mary and of Saint John were modeled in 1756 with skillfully conceived poses to create a unified composition in which the three figures are visually and emotionally connected.[6] Only two of these Crucifixion groups are known today, and they are among the most accomplished porcelain sculpture produced during the eighteenth century. It is likely they were intended for private devotion rather than public veneration, and this supposition is reinforced by the remarkable survival of a cabinet made specifically to contain the Crucifixion group that remains mounted inside its upper section.[7]
In 1759 Bustelli modeled a figure of the Virgin Mary as the grieving mother (Mater Dolorosa), which was intended as an alternative to the earlier Virgin Mary figure.[8] These four figures constitute the only religious figures that Bustelli created, and it may have been the gravity of the subject matter that inspired the remarkable expressiveness of the Corpus and its accompanying figures. It appears that Bustelli reworked the model of the Corpus that he created in 1755, and the Museum’s figure reflects his minor revisions.[9] The reworked Corpus figure has a more defined musculature, and the impression of suffering is heightened by the more sharply delineated features of the face, which are made more visible due to the higher position of the crown of thorns. A smaller version of the Dead Christ was created in 1758, suggesting that the earlier Corpus figures were a commercial success.[10]
While Bustelli’s Corpus reflects the long history of depictions of the Dead Christ executed in ivory, wood, and bronze, the use of porcelain for religious sculpture was relatively uncommon. The Meissen factory had created a number of religious works during the 1730s and 1740s,[11] but they make up an extremely small percentage of the factory’s figural production, and porcelain was not widely embraced in Europe as a medium for religious sculpture, despite its obvious visual similarity to ivory. The Munich sculptor Ignaz Günther (German, 1725–1775) modeled a porcelain Corpus in 1756,[12] perhaps in response to Bustelli’s Corpus of the previous year, but these figures represent rare departures from the vast majority of porcelain sculpture that was made to decorate the dining table. Bustelli’s Corpus, and the figures of the Virgin Mary and Saint John produced to accompany it, ably demonstrated that porcelain was a suitable medium for the most serious sculptural expression.
Footnotes
(For key to shortened references see bibliography in Munger, European Porcelain in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2018)
1 Volk 2004.
2 Katharina Hantschmann in Hantschmann and Ziffer 2004, p. 442, under no. 83.
3 Jeffrey Weaver in Sutton 1995, p. 116; Ziffer 1997, p. 35.
4 Interestingly, Bustelli has finished the back of the figure, albeit in a slightly summary fashion, even though it would not be seen once mounted on the cross.
5 Hantschmann and Ziffer 2004, p. 442, nos. 83–85, ill. p. 187 (catalogue entry by Hantschmann), p. 444, nos. 87–90, ill. p. 191 (catalogue entry by Hantschmann and Alfred Ziffer).
6 Hantschmann in ibid., p. 442, nos. 83–85, ill. p. 187.
7 Hantschmann and Ziffer in ibid., pp. 444–47, nos. 87–90, ill. p. 191.
8 Hantschmann in ibid., p. 448, no. 93, ill. p. 197.
9 The earliest model is illustrated in ibid., p. 187, and a detail appears on p. 192. The most notable changes involve the elimination of the upward-billowing drapery at Christ’s proper right side, the higher place-ment of the crown of thorns, more sharply executed facial features, and a more detailed musculature.
10 Hantschmann in ibid., pp. 447–48, no. 92, ill. p. 196. The smaller version of the Dead Christ reflects more substantial changes, seen more clearly in the repositioning of the legs, with the proper right leg in front, and in the reorientation of the drapery. In addition, it appears, based on photographs, that the musculature as well as the features of Christ’s face have been softened, resulting in a less dramatic and overtly emotional depiction.
11 See Antonin 2010.
12 Eikelmann 2000, ill. p. 83.
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548988.txt | Sheet, linen mark, fine spin, medium weave
New Kingdom
ca. 1492–1473 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 116
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10784.txt | Mrs. John Adams Conant
William Dunlap
American
1829
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 774
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558557.txt | Shabti of Psusennes I
Third Intermediate Period
ca. 1040–992 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 130
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10948.txt | Self-portrait
Thomas Gimbrede
American, born France
ca. 1805
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 754
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559891.txt | Scarab Inscribed with the Name of the God Amun-Re
New Kingdom
ca. 1479–1458 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 116
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10790.txt | In the Woods
Asher Brown Durand
American
1855
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 759
This monumental painting departs from the pastoral treatment of Durand’s earlier works to celebrate the shadowy solitude of the deep woods. Living and dead trees rise from the fertile decay of the forest floor. In the summer of 1854, Durand had made plein-air studies in the Catskill Mountains in preparation for this work, and while it was on view at the National Academy of Design, the artist published his acclaimed “Letters on Landscape Painting.” In the third installment, he wrote, “That is a fine picture which at once takes possession of you—draws you into it—you traverse it—breathe its atmosphere—feel its sunshine, and you repose in its shade without thinking of its design or execution, effect or color.”
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243338.txt | Gold earring with ring and hook
Roman
2nd–3rd century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 171
Delta-shaped earrings have the free end of the hook-and-eye fastening prolonged beyond the eye into a long free hook.
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834010.txt | Caster (one of a set of three)
Lewis Mettayer
British
1714/15
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 509
Used for serving sugar, dry mustard, and pepper, sets of three casters were standard components of an eighteenth-century silver table setting. Like the dessert dishes above, this set was part of the large service made for Sir Paul Methuen’s embassy to Spain.
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254644.txt | Fragmentary neck-amphora (jar)
Greek, Protoattic
ca. 675 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 171
On the neck, two birds of prey, probably eagles
The decoration may be by the Polyphemos Painter, best known for the impressive depiction in Eleusis of the blinding of Polyphemos by Odysseus. The motifs on the New York vase seem to have been limited to the eagles on the neck, with horizontal stripes and perhaps a narrow subsidiary frieze on the body.
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555073.txt | Funerary Cone of Djehutymose
New Kingdom
ca. 1550–1295 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 117
This funerary cone has the impression of two seals inscribed for a man named Djehutimose who was a chief wab priest of Amun. For two cones with the same impression, see 15.2.41 and 13.180.71.
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449328.txt | Stone Oil Lamp
9th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 452
This stone lamp’s design accommodated several wicks, and its curved handle made it easier to carry.
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244457.txt | Bronze statuette of Athena
Roman
ca. 2nd–3rd century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 171
Weight on right leg; right arm raised holding a spear; wearing an Ionic chiton with aegis and helmet.
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545260.txt | Scarab of an Official
Middle Kingdom
ca. 1850–1640 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 109
Administrative changes during Dynasty 12 lead to an increase in bureaucracy and, subsequently, in the production and use of seals. This is reflected in the beginning of the mass production of scarabs, the most popular shape for amulets, in late Dynasty 12 through Dynasty 13 (ca. 1850-1640 B.C.). Thousands of these late Middle Kingdom scarabs bear the names and titles of officials, who would wear them as amulets, but who could also use them to seal documents, containers or doors. However, the scarabs’ primary function remained that of a protective amulet. Several inscriptions add a funerary epithet to the owner’s name, indicating that the amulet was manufactured after the owner had passed away.
The elaborate inscription on this scarab mentions the name and title of Ay, the hall-keeper of the royal counting house. A funerary epithet follows his name, and the inscription mentions an offering to the god Ptah, indicating that Ay is deceased.
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252235.txt | Agate flattened cylinder seal
Minoan
ca. 1750–1450 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 171
Two fish.
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553402.txt | Scarab Inscribed with the Names of Amun-Re and Neith
New Kingdom
ca. 1295–1070 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 130
This scarab dates to the late New Kingdom’s Ramesside Period (Dynasty 19-20, ca. 1295-1070 B.C.) based on its morphology. The upper part of the scarab’s base is inscribed with the name of the sun god Amun-Re. Below is a narrow, concave line for the hieroglyph meaning lord. Numerous scarabs of the New Kingdom bear the name Amun-Re accompanied by this sign, suggesting a reading ‘the lord Amun-Re’ or 'Amun-Re is (my) lord'. The motif at the bottom is the symbol of the goddess Neith, a warrior and mother goddess whose cult gained importance under the Ramesside dynasties, when she was also closely associated with the sun god.
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245749.txt | Glass alabastron (perfume bottle)
Eastern Mediterranean or Italian
late 4th–early 3rd century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 158
Translucent cobalt blue, with handles in same color; trails in opaque yellow, opaque white, and opaque turquoise blue.
Broad horizontal rim-disk; cylindrical neck, tapering upward; narrow, almost horizontal shoulder; straight-sided cylindrical body, with slight upward taper; convex bottom, with off-center tooling indent and applied small blob of blue glass; below shoulder, two vertical ring handles, unpierced, with trailing tails, one of which is higher up body than the other, applied over trail pattern.
A fine yellow trail attached at edge of rim-disk; on body, alternating bands of yellow, white, and turquoise blue, tooled from shoulder to undercurve at bottom into a close-set feather pattern in eight vertical patterns with alternating upward and downward strokes, with some of loops at top extending onto neck and some deep indents in sides.
Body intact, but parts of rim-disk missing and restored with fill; slight pitting, but very little iridescence or weathering.
In the late fourth century B.C., perfume containers often are far larger than their predecessors and have strikingly elegant decoration in the form of delicate colored threads combed into a zigzag, feather, or festoon pattern.
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590449.txt | Document Sealing with the Throne Name of Amenhotep III
New Kingdom
ca. 1390–1352 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 120
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468480.txt | Standing Apostle
German
1440–50
On view at The Met Cloisters in
Gallery 16
This figure appears to have been made in a workshop in Westphalia that was influenced by sculptors from the Netherlands. Most alabaster statuettes of this date were grouped in large altarpieces.
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469946.txt | Roundel with Allegorical Scene of Book Burning
North Netherlandish
ca. 1520–30
On view at The Met Cloisters in
Gallery 10
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252553.txt | Marble statuette of a girl
Greek
3rd century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 158
A little girl holding a pet in her apron.
The child wears a peplos with a long overfold and over it a sleeveless chiton that has slipped off her left shoulder. She has gathered up the front portion to carry a small animal, probably a pet puppy. Such statues of children were often dedicated as votives in sanctuaries or served as funerary monuments.
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242998.txt | Gold lion's head bracelet with copper-alloy core
Greek, Cypriot
ca. 450–400 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 156
Bangle bracelets with animal-head finials.
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713934.txt | Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)
Attributed to
Makron
500–480 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 157
Interior, nose, mouth, neck, and part of upper torso of a bearded symposiast wearing a himation, reclining on a pillow, holding a kylix in his right hand; Exterior, left foot of a male to right
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306670.txt | Bertout. Marie, Ismérie. 41 ans, née à Reims. Marchande de vins. Pas de motif. 26/2/94.
Alphonse Bertillon
French
1894
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 851
Born into a distinguished family of scientists and statisticians, Bertillon began his career as a clerk in the Identification Bureau of the Paris Prefecture of Police in 1879. Tasked with maintaining reliable police records of offenders, he developed the first modern system of police identification. The system, which became known as Bertillonage, had three components: anthropometric measurement, precise verbal description of the prisoner’s physical characteristics, and standardized photographs of the face.
In the early 1890s Paris was subject to a wave of bombings and assassination attempts carried out by anarchist proponents of "propaganda of the deed." One of Bertillon’s greatest successes came in March 1892, when his system of identification led to the arrest of an anarchist bomber who went by the name Ravachol (2005.100.375.348). The publicity surrounding the case earned Bertillon the Legion of Honor and encouraged police departments around the world to adopt his anthropometric system.
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591031.txt | Worker Shabti of Henettawy (C), Daughter of Isetemkheb
Third Intermediate Period
ca. 990–970 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 126
See 25.3.19.
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202364.txt | Cane handle
probably German, Rhenish
probably second half 18th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 533
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503553.txt | Valve Trumpet
Elbridge G. Wright
American
ca. 1845
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 680
This trumpet can be set up in C, B-flat, A, or G. The model was developed around 1825-30 in Germany, and Wright's instrument is one of the last specimens built. It is equipped with Vienna valves of the Mainz type, operated with a latch action. Contrary to common usage, the first valve lowers the pitch by a half step and the second valve by a full step. Trumpets with a narrow bore, like this one, were also called cornets.
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555715.txt | Figurine of a Dog
Middle Kingdom
ca. 1961–1917 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 109
Already in the Early Dynastic Period, Egyptians deposited faience figurines of wild animals in temple precincts. These figurines were reintroduced in the 12th Dynasty, but as a component of burial equipment and with new species added to the repertoire. The controlled representation of desert animals may have assured the Egyptians of eternal safety, though they also likely had symbolic meanings. The dog may represent a personal wish for companionship.
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856695.txt | Ewer (one of a pair)
Style of
Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot
French
early 19th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 553
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3877.txt | Chandelier
Probably designed by
Henry N. Hooper and Company
American
Attributed to
Boston & Sandwich Glass Company
American
ca. 1850
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 739
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247638.txt | Terracotta one-handled cup
Minoan
ca. 1400–1200 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 171
One-handled, no decoration.
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37449.txt | Footed Jar
Vietnam
11th–12th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 250
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551573.txt | Plaque, female face
Ptolemaic Period–Roman Period
100 BC–100 AD
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 134
A mosaic glass technique allowed multiples of an image to be created: a figural or design composition was made by bundling colored glass canes, which were then drawn out into a long bar. The bar was then sectioned at right angles, probably by striking the bar with appropriate tools, to produce small inlay tiles. The tile would then be smoothed and polished on the face intended to appear outwards.
Such elements could also be used side by side to create repeating patterns. Or if the rod presented one half of an element that was symmetrical, such as a face, a tile and a reversed tile from the same rod could be put together to form a complete whole, as here.
Link to a blog about Ptolemaic Art at The Met
Nile and Newcomers: A Fresh Installation of Egyptian Ptolemaic Art
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200573.txt | Pair of vases
Chinese with French mounts
mounts ca. 1760–70, porcelain early 18th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 527
Chinese porcelain vases decorated with a celadon glaze enjoyed great popularity among French art collectors of the eighteenth century. Frequently they were fitted in France with gilt-bronze mounts that served to enhance the porcelain in the eyes of the potential buyer. The marchandsmerciers, who did so much to influence eighteenth-century French taste, were usually responsible for commissioning the gilt-bronze mounts, which were required to closely fit the shape of the vase. In the case of this pair of vases, the design of the mounts includes both Rococo and Neoclassical motifs, suggesting a date of manufacture between 1760 and 1770, a period of transition between the two styles. The mounts incorporate putti, floral swags, shells, and scrolling vegetation, all unrelated stylistically to the vase’s molded designs, which echo the decoration of archaic Chinese bronzes. Typically they venerate the Chinese porcelains while substantially transforming their appearance, creating a luxury object that is entirely French in taste. It is likely that this pair of vases was once owned by the great English collector William Beckford (1760–1844), who may have acquired them because of their strong association with eighteenth-century French aristocratic taste.
[Jeffrey H. Munger, 2010]
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#2269. Vases (pair)
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231976.txt | Folding stool (pliant) (one of a pair)
French, Paris
ca. 1735–39
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 525
Stools played an important role in the hierarchical seating arrangements of the French court, which followed a strict and complex protocol. Depending on the rank of the company–which would include members of the royal family, courtiers, and dignitaries–one remained standing or was assigned a floor cushion (carreau), stool, or, rarely, a side chair. Armchairs were reserved for the king and the queen. Large numbers of stools were listed in the royal inventories; one type, called pliant, which includes the present pair, had an X-shaped frame that could conveniently be folded.
The inventory mark of the palace of Versailles, an interlaced double V and a closed crown, is stamped underneath the lower struts of the Museum’s stools. Even though the authenticity of these marks has been questioned, the excellent quality of the work, expressed not only in the carving but also in the recutting (reparure) of the gesso, leaves no doubt that this pair belonged to an important set of seat furniture.
Consisting of calcium carbonate mixed with rabbit glue, gesso or whiting forms the base coat for the gilding. After it has been applied to a carved frame and has dried, this layer needs to be recut to restore detail or definition to the decoration. Motifs or ground patterns too delicate to be cut into the wood itself, such as the diaper design on the Museum’s stools, were also added during the reparure. Despite the fact that the appearance of these low seats depended largely on the richness of the upholstery and trimmings of their cushions, the frames of the stools were elaborately carved with Rococo ornament. The shaped outline of the supports is enlivened with bulrushes, basketweave motifs, and partly openworked acanthus leaves. Large rosettes cover the bolts that allow the stools to fold.
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249615.txt | Glass mosaic inlay
Roman
late 1st century BCE–1st century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 166
Translucent cobalt blue ground; decoration in opaque white, yellow, red, and greyish green.
Plaque comprising two squarish sections attached along one straight side and the outward sides rounded.
On each section a matching symmetrical frond and palmette motif arranged around a central four-petaled cross-shaped rosette, with a tall, leafy frond at each corner with spiral volutes below forming a frame to the central rosette, and a short palmette on each side.
Cracked and repaired with several chips around edges; upper and underside and all edges ground and polished; pitted surface bubbles and dulling.
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557102.txt | Scarab
Second Intermediate Period
ca. 1640–1550 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 109
This scarab dates to the Second Intermediate Period (ca. 1640–1550 B.C.). The most characteristic element in the underside’s decoration is the decorative vertical panels on the sides. These motifs, also known as ‘Hyksos sides’ or ‘Hyksos panels’ are also found on royal name scarabs of that period.
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256735.txt | Glass cup with splayed foot
Roman
2nd half of 1st century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 168
Translucent blue green.
Outsplayed tubular rim, folded over and in; tall curving neck, tapering downwards; thick projecting shoulder; squat, globular body; applied conical foot, formed from a separate gather, with edge cracked-off and ground flat; small, circular, flat bottom.
Eleven vertical ribs in high relief tooled out from shoulder down side of body.
Rim and body cracked with one hole in side; part of foot broken and missing; few bubbles; dulling, pitting, creamy brown weathering, and faint iridescence.
This cup or chalice bears a similarity to the ribbed bowls also displayed here (91.1.1247, .1346), but the treatment of the rim and the addition of the foot make it a very unusual example of Roman blown glass tableware.
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188797.txt | Known as "The Book Cover", enlargement of a plaquette-medal for the Societé des Amis des Livres
Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier
French
before 1903
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 556
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197338.txt | Staircase from Cassiobury Park, Hertfordshire
Attributed to
Edward Pearce
ca. 1677–80
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 509
The exuberant carving of this magnificent staircase is attributed to the English master Edward Pearce, but it is similar to the work of Grinling Gibbons, who, like many other influential artists in seventeenth-century England, was Dutch. In keeping with Baroque ideals, the design consists of natural vegetal elements restrained and ordered by art. A dramatically undercut acanthus scroll with seed pods carries the balustrade between square newels; neatly arranged oak leaves compose the molding below, and pine cone finials crown the corner posts.
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#2131. Staircase From Cassiobury Park, Herfordshire
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2131. Staircase From Cassiobury Park, Herfordshire
403. The Staircase from Cassiobury Park
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560221.txt | Scarabs
New Kingdom
ca. 1492–1473 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 116
This scarab was found with twenty-three other scarabs and seal-amulets in the coffin of a young woman who was buried in Hatnefer's tomb (see 36.3.1 and 36.3 26). The base is inscribed with a decorative pattern that includes a nefer hieroglyph (meaning good or beautiful)..
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3320.txt | Dish
British
1750–75
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 774
Creamware, so-called for its cream-colored body, is a refined earthenware with a lead-based glaze that was developed in Staffordshire, England around 1750. Due to its light color and glossy glaze, it was ideal for dinnerware. Economically affordable to produce, creamware was imported to America in large quantities. Although much creamware was used in America, it is rare to find pieces associated with a particular family. This dinner service (36.22.1 -.38) bears the initials “SBW” for Samuel Blachley Webb. The set was imported from England in 1774 by Webb, who was an aide-de-camp and military secretary to General George Washington.
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848124.txt | Sketch of an Allegory of the Abolition of Slavery
Anonymous, French School, 19th Century
French
ca. 1848
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 552
A semi-naked and emaciated Black man casts an imploring gaze upward at a triumphally posed female figure who has broken the chains of bondage beneath her foot. Flowing drapery and a Phrygian cap, representing liberty, identify her as an allegory of the French Republic. This unsigned terracotta sketch may have been an anonymous submission to an open contest that called for symbolic representations of the newly formed Second Republic, a short-lived democratic regime that abolished slavery in 1848. Its emphasis on the female figure’s role as liberator reflected French patriotic sentiment, while the representation of the Black figure as helpless and in need of sanctuary advanced imperialist notions of racial difference.
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5989.txt | Plate
Dutch
1700–1800
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 774
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472157.txt | The Baptism of Christ
Austrian
ca. 1390
On view at The Met Cloisters in
Gallery 09
Seven scenes from the private chapel of the Ebreichsdorf castle are installed in the Gothic Chapel at The Cloisters. Representing episodes from the life of Christ—the Annunciation, Adoration of the Magi, Presentation in the Temple, Baptism, Agony in the Garden, Trial before Pilate, and Harrowing of Hell—they constitute almost all of the surviving stained glass program. The scenes are organized into vertical groups of four rectangular panels, arranged two over two; the lower panels in each group are narrative, while the upper panels represent architectural canopies. Most of the narrative panels contain a single scene, as is the case with the Annunciation, which was originally paired with a Visitation (now in Vienna). Others, however, combine to form a unified episode, such as the Adoration of the Magi.
The glazing program of the chapel has been attributed to a "ducal workshop" favored by the local nobility and best known for its use of rich colors, fanciful architectural forms, and elegant figural styles. In the Baptism panel, the figures of Christ, John the Baptist, and the dove, representing the Holy Spirit, are positioned to create an upward thrust that lends movement and drama to the overall effect.
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248084.txt | Bronze stand
Roman
1st century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in
Gallery 171
A circular disk, set in a rim which rests on three legs. The legs terminate in paws and continue above into arabesque patterns in the spaces between the legs.
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Subsets and Splits