Group of statuettes

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Although there are no definite means of identification, this group is possibly symbolic of events in the life of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. He abdicated the Imperial crown in 1558 and the Spanish crown in 1556, being succeeded in the latter by his son Philip II, for whom in this group (far right) the Emperor holds an orb and a sceptre. A figure to the right of Charles presents Philip to him. A figure on the left holds the imperial crown, about to present it to Ferdinand I (far left), the younger brother of Charles, who became emperor in 1558.

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