Tile
Unknown Artist
1564
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
4 × 6 × 2 1/2 in. (10.2 × 15.2 × 6.4 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
08.196.218
Tags
About this artwork
This terracotta tile, dated precisely to 1564, represents Dutch ceramic production during a period of remarkable innovation in European decorative arts. Dutch tilework of the mid-sixteenth century often featured relief decoration, narrative scenes, or heraldic designs, serving both functional and ornamental purposes in domestic and ecclesiastical settings. The tile's date corresponds to a period when the Netherlands was experiencing significant cultural and religious upheaval, shortly before the...