Tile
Unknown Artist
1640–60
Medium
Tin-glazed earthenware
Dimensions
Overall: 5 × 5 in. (12.7 × 12.7 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
08.196.46
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming 5 x 5-inch square tile, crafted in tin-glazed earthenware around 1640–60, hails from the Dutch Golden Age—a prosperous era when the Netherlands led in trade, art, and innovation. Produced by an unknown artisan, it likely depicts men and deer, evoking scenes of hunting or rural life that were popular motifs in Dutch decorative arts. These small-scale ceramics were mass-produced in workshops like those in Delft, transforming humble earthenware into glossy, durable panels through tin-glazing: a technique where a tin-oxide coating created an opaque white surface ideal for vibrant pai...