Box (part of a set)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The use of dressing-table sets made of bois de Sainte Lucie was stimulated by Louis XIV’s sumptuary edicts of 1689 and 1709, which caused much French silver to be melted down. Named for the patron saint of the Lorraine region, this type of cherry or dense fruitwood from a forest near Nancy was appreciated for its reddish brown color and its pleasant smell reminiscent of cinnamon. It lent itself beautifully to carving, showing intricate patterns that resemble goldsmith work.

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