Tile
Unknown Artist
1640–60
Medium
Tin-glazed earthenware
Dimensions
5 x 5 in. (12.7 x 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
08.196.62
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming 5 x 5-inch square tile, crafted in tin-glazed earthenware around 1640–60 by an unknown Dutch artist, captures the whimsical spirit of the Dutch Golden Age. Adorned with vivid scenes of men, mermaids, and horses, it exemplifies the decorative ceramics popular in prosperous Dutch households. These small-scale wonders were often used to embellish fireplaces, hearths, and walls, everyday spaces into lively tapestries of imagination. The tin-glaze technique, a hallmark of Dutch Delftware, involved coating earthenware with a tin-oxide mixture to create an opaque white surface ideal fo...