Basin

Symon Owen

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

It is believed that this ewer and basin, which bear the mark of the prominent London goldsmith Symon Owen, were made for Henry Frederick, prince of Wales (1594–1612) and eldest son of James I of England. While ewers and their accompanying basins were originally intended for the washing of hands at the dining table, they were also employed as part of lavish displays of silver on sideboards or buffets in princely or aristocratic houses.

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