Dish with arms of the Visconti family

Dish with arms of the Visconti family

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Here, a dragon-headed creature devours a somewhat complacent-looking boy. This startling image, known as the biscione (big serpent), was a heraldic symbol of the ruling family of the duchy of Milan. Filling much of the dish’s central well, it is surrounded by an irregular border of peacock feathers. Two holes in the foot ring allowed the dish to be suspended on the wall, where it would be viewed as a bold statement of Milanese allegiance.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dish with arms of the Visconti familyDish with arms of the Visconti familyDish with arms of the Visconti familyDish with arms of the Visconti familyDish with arms of the Visconti family

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.