
Casket (coffanetto or scrigno)
An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art
The dark rosewood was lacquered with a transparent varnish and decorated with a dense arabesque pattern in gold leaf, lending the casket a distinctly Ottoman flavor. It was fitted with a removable tray, and the interior space was divided into various compartments for toiletries. The removable mirror in the lid gives access to a hidden storage compartment.
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.