Coffeepot

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This model of coffeepot appears to be the earliest produced in China for export to Europe. Its tall, tapering octagonal form was influenced both by Dutch Delftware coffeepots and by English silver coffeepots. This early production of coffeepots for export to the West reflects the speed with which the Chinese export ceramic industry responded to the growing demand for coffee wares in Europe. This form proved hard to fire because of its straight sides and angles, and it soon was replaced by a more easily produced cylindrical model.

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