Bowl

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The technique of lusterware involves the use of a copper oxide which, when painted on in the desired patterns and fired separately, produced a metallic sheen in tones ranging from pale gold to deep reddish copper depending on the proportions of the mixture. This bowl, probably a remnant of a larger table service, was made for export for the Dazzi family of Florence, whose arms it bears. Italy was a major market for the Manisan pottery industry, and certain Spanish designs, such as the bryony leaf pattern on this bowl, were emulated by Florentine potters.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art