Octagonal dish

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This dish reflects the decorative language of Chinese porcelains of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, although the poor quality of its manufacture indicates that it was not made in China, which excelled in the production of all types of ceramics. The blue and white palette established by the Chinese became the global symbol of porcelain, and the motifs painted on this dish are derived from Chinese examples.

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