Bowl with dragon

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

On the exterior, a dragon sports with a flaming pearl. Because of its auspicious associations, this traditional Chinese motif frequently appeared on objects intended for use at the imperial court. By the sixteenth century, dragons were freely used as motifs on objects intended for public consumption, provided the dragon had only four claws—the fiveclaw version was reserved for the emperor.

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