Thetis Transporting Arms for Achilles

William Theed the Elder

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Led by a triton, the sea nymph Thetis carried weaponry and armor across the seas to her son Achilles, knowing that he would be among the last to die in the Trojan wars. Neo-classical sculptor William Theed shows her mourning, head bowed in grief, already knowing that her sacrifice is necessary. The subject had particular resonance in Britain in 1805 when Theed first exhibited the model for this bronze at the Royal Academy. This was the year of the Battle of Trafalgar when Horatio Nelson gave his life in Britain’s battle against Napoleon Bonaparte and the French.

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