Panel ornament
Unknown Artist
18th century
Medium
Gilt bronze
Dimensions
5 × 7 5/8 in. (12.7 × 19.4 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Gilt Bronze
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1906
Accession Number
07.225.510.11
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Panel Ornament* from 18th-century France exemplifies the opulence of the era's decorative arts. Crafted in gilt bronze—a luxurious medium where bronze is cast and coated with a thin layer of gold via fire gilding—this small-scale piece (5 × 7 5/8 in.) was likely designed as a mount for furniture panels, walls, or cabinetry. Its intricate form reflects the French mastery of *ormolu*, prized for its shimmering, durable finish that mimicked solid gold while resisting tarnish. In the lavish courts of Louis XV and Louis XVI, such ornaments adorned the homes of the aristocracy, embo...