Group of rustic figures

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The nature of the Sicilian crèche technique is very different from that of the Neopolitan. The latter is the work of numerous hands not only in the production of the figures themselves but also in their orchestration within the assembled crèche. Sicilian figures, on the other hand, although rougher in finish are entirely made by the individual artists who not only mold their clothing but also control the grouping of the figures within separate vignettes.

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