Dish with centaur and centauress battling

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This plate belongs to a category of maiolica known as lusterware due to the iridescence of some of the colors employed in its decoration. When fired in the kiln, the metallic oxides turn into metal on the surface of the pottery, resulting in a lustrous surface with reflective properties The scene depicted on this plate of a male centaur vanquishing a female centaur is uncommon in Renaissance art, and its significance is unclear, as is that of the letters FR[the R crossed].ELAF.MI. that appear on the scroll above the two figures.

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