Storage jar (albarello) depicting a dog

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Not all inscriptions appearing on maiolica storage vessels specify their contents. In this case, the words are a warning: "Laga me stare e no me tocare" (Let me be and do not touch me). Although unambiguous in sentiment, the statement is rather mysterious without its original context. It may refer to the angry-looking dog on the exterior of the jar, or possibly to poisonous materials contained within.

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