Tile
Unknown Artist
1620–40
Medium
Tin-glazed earthenware
Dimensions
Overall (tile): 5 1/8 × 5 1/8 × 1/2 in. (13 × 13 × 1.3 cm); Overall (whole panel): 31 3/4 × 21 1/2 in. (80.6 × 54.6 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Pottery
Culture
Dutch
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of W. R. Valentiner, 1908
Accession Number
08.196.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming Dutch tile, created between 1620 and 1640 during the height of the Dutch Golden Age, is a fine example of tin-glazedware from the Delft tradition. Measuring just 5⅛ × 5⅛ inches, it forms part of a larger panel (31¾ × 21½ inches) now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of's European Sculpture and Decor Arts collection. The scene lively depicts men with drums, capturing a moment of music-making that hints at everyday revelry or perhaps military pomp. Tin-glazing, a technique borrowed from Islamic and Italian ceramics, coated the earthenware with a white tin oxide layer, creating a s...