The Metropolitan Museum of Art Ornaments*2023 Star, Snowflake, And Angel Tree Ornament Set

An Art Ornament Set Inspired By The Met Collection.

This Limited-Edition Ornament Trio Was Produced Exclusively For The 2023 Holiday Season.

Our Golden Star And Silvery Snowflake Ornaments Celebrate Two Exquisite Instruments In The Met Collection. This Year’S Star Adapts The Exquisite Rosette From A Spruce, Ebony, Ivory, Tortoiseshell, And Mother-Of-Pearl Archlute (Ca. 1725), A Type Of Long-Necked Lute Derived From The Florentine Chitarrone (“Large Kithara”) Invented Around 1585. The Museum’S Archlute, One Of Only 10 Known Examples Of Its Kind, Was Crafted By David Tecchler (Austrian, 1666–1747), Who Became The Most Prominent Roman Luthier Of The Early 18Th Century. Tecchler Was Celebrated For His Violins And Cellos, And This Magnificent Instrument Appears To Be His Only Extant Archlute.

The 2023 Snowflake Ornament Reinterprets The Lavish Rosette From A Rosewood, Spruce, Walnut, Bone, And Mother-Of-Pearl Mandola (1797). The Rare, Larger Mandola Bassa Milanese Has Seven Double Courses Of Strings That Are Tuned An Octave Lower Than A Milanese Mandolin. This Particular Mandola Was Crafted In Milan By Giuseppe Presbler (German, Active Italy, 1760–1801), Who Belonged To A Family Of Lute And Mandolin Makers Originally From Germany.

Our Angel Tree Ornament Depicts An Elegant, Italian-Made Angel (18Th–19Th Century) From The Met’S Celebrated Christmas Tree And Neapolitan Baroque Crèche. This Beloved Museum Installation Features A Neapolitan Nativity Scene At The Base Of The Tree, With A Host Of Exquisitely Carved And Dressed Angels Soaring In The Branches Above The Holy Family. The Decoration And Illumination Of This Majestic Tree Is A Cherished Annual Event.