Woman pulling a thorn from her foot

Art Historical Context

Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection, this exquisite 19th-century sculpture depicts a graceful nude woman delicately pulling a thorn from her foot, surrounded by floral motifs. Crafted by an unknown European artist, the piece measures just 4-1/2 inches high, embodying the era's fascination with intimate, jewel-like objets d'art. Its extraordinary materials—ambergris, gold, jewels, and enamel—elevate it to a pinnacle of luxury metalwork, blending the organic rarity of ambergris (a fragrant whale-derived substance prized in perfumery) with...