Female bust

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Since the figure is looking down, she may have been intended for the cresting of a tall armoire or bookcase. Bearing resemblance to the elegant ladies in the paintings of Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), this large mount would not only add sculptural beauty but also a considerable cost and weight to a piece of furniture. Especially when combined with other mounts, the cabinetmaker had to take this additional weight into account when constructing the carcass. The large holes in the bust are for screws or nails to fasten it to the wooden surface. It was only later during the eighteenth century that less conspicuous ways for mounting were devised.

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