Antoninus Pius (Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus, 86–161) (?)

Antoninus Pius (Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus, 86–161) (?)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Italian Renaissance brought with it a wholehearted embrace of classical antiquity throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Emulation of ancient cameos played a large part. Carvers invested ancient myths with increasingly refined compositions and techniques, paying close attention to the latest archaeological discoveries. Demand for Italian carvers took them to all the courts of Europe. Milan in particular developed a taste for cameos with wondrous atmospheric effects.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Antoninus Pius (Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus, 86–161) (?)Antoninus Pius (Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus, 86–161) (?)Antoninus Pius (Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus, 86–161) (?)Antoninus Pius (Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus, 86–161) (?)Antoninus Pius (Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus, 86–161) (?)

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.