Century Vase

Karl L. H. Müller

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Nationalistic motifs embellish this pair (see 69.194.1) of vases designed by sculptor Karl Müller in honor of America’s 1876 Centennial. Native American plants decorate the body and North American bison heads serve as handles. A profile portrait of George Washington embellishes each side, and the six biscuit relief panels around the base each depict scenes from American history – among them a minuteman with his cannon, William Penn signing a treaty with Native Americans, and the Boston Tea Party.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art