Miniature spinning wheel (part of a set)
Unknown Artist
1675–1700
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
2 × 2 × 1 1/4 in. (5.1 × 5.1 × 3.2 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
Southern German
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Morris Fatman, in the name of her late husband, 1931
Accession Number
31.37.7
Art Historical Context
This exquisite miniature spinning wheel, crafted in silver by an unknown Southern German artisan between 1675 and 1700, captures the ingenuity of Baroque-era metalwork on a diminutive scale—just 2 × 2 × 1 1/4 inches. Part of a larger set, it exemplifies the period's fascination with precise, functional replicas of everyday objects, transformed into luxurious novelties for the elite. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative department, it was generously gifted by Mrs. Morris Fatman in 1931. Silver was a prized medium in Southern Germany, renowned centers lik...