Christ and the Virgin

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The inscription probably records the name of the donor and may be translated, "Jacopo, son of the notary Vannis, son of Cole [Nicola?]." Niello is an alloy of silver, copper, and lead to which sulphur and often borax are added. In pulverized form this composition is applied to a silver plaque that has been prepared with an incised design and heated until the composition and the silver fuse. When cool, the plaque is scraped until the blackened composition remains in the incised areas alone and is then rubbed until the silver regains its shine.

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