Chimneypiece

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The principal source not only of heat but also of light, the fireplace was one of the focal points in the eighteenth-century interior, around which people would gather. It had various furnishings made of gilt bronze, or provided with gilt-bronze handles, such as firedogs and fire irons that would reflect the light of the flames in their polished and matte surfaces. A garniture of mounted vases and a mantel clock were generally displayed on the mantel, while candelabra or wall lights would provide additional light.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art