Souvenir
1774–75
Medium
Gold, mother-of-pearl, malachite, diamonds; ivory
Dimensions
3 3/8 × 2 1/4 in. (8.6 × 5.7 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Gold and Platinum|Miniatures
Culture
French, Paris
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.1319a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 18-century French luxury with *Souvenir*, a masterful creation by Parisian goldsmith Louis Cousin from1774–75. This petite treasure, measuring just 3 3/8 × 2 1/4 inches, exemplifies the era's decorative arts, blending gold with mother-of-pearl, malachite, diamonds, ivory. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's European Sculpture andative Arts department—thanks to a 1917 gift from financier J. Pierpont Morgan—it reflects the pinnacle of Parisian metalwork, where miniaturist precision met extravagance. As a classified gold miniature, *Souvenir* likely served as a...