Beaker

Michael May II

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Incorporating medals or coins into the walls of drinking vessels has a captivating effect, and here they underline the beaker’s probable use. This refined, stylish beaker was likely a special wedding present. The German inscriptions on the front and back of the medal read, "If faithfulness and blessing is felt" and "Pure love sets the heart at rest." Another medal (dated 1588) at the bottom reminds the viewer of vanity, alertness, and faith in God by illustrating events from the Genesis story of Lot.

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