Pair of andirons

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

On the high base of each, formed by sweeping acanthus scrolls, a lion is seated on rockwork facing inward and giving tongue. Its raised right forepaw rests, also on rockwork, on the end of a tall scroll. A large spray of blown acanthus leaves and berries springs from the base behind the lion's shoulders. A band of ribbon ornament, interlacing alternate small circles and tall ovals, is chased along the front of the base of each.

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