Tureen in the form of a capercaillie

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Although we ought not to judge works of art by their size, the dimensions of this almost life size piece, as well as its modeling and firing, represent a technical achievement rarely attained. The capercailzie or capercaillie is the largest member of the grouse family. Found across northern Europe and Asia, it is renowned for its mating display.

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