Nécessaire

James Cox

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Containing dark inclusions that resemble moss or ferns, the milky white mineral decorating this sumptuous nécessaire is known as moss agate. It is found in multiple areas around the world, including Central Europe. In addition to various toilet implements, the case contains a watch and an automaton and is an excellent example of the complex and ambitious objects made in the workshop of James Cox.

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