Ewer

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This ewer is one of the largest and most impressive examples of a low-fire white pottery made in France in the middle years of the sixteenth century. Known as Saint-Porchaire ware, this group of elaborate and often architectural pieces is distinguished by the complex interlace designs of colored clays inlaid into the cream-colored earthenware body. These wares were believed to have been produced in the town of Saint-Porchaire in western France, but a Paris origin has also been suggested due to their technical sophistication and the ambition of their designs.

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