Oval basin or dish with subject from Amadis of Gaul

Orazio Fontana

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This basin is decorated with scenes from the chivalric tale of Amadis, who endured a number of trials in order to win his beloved princess, Oriana. Large serving dishes of this type would have been used communally, placed on the table within reach of several diners. In this case, the number and placement of the scenes suggest that it was intended to serve four, each with an image oriented in his or her direction.

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