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MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot)

@miadecorativearts.bsky.social

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Sharing artworks from the Minneapolis Art Institute Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture department. Not associated with the Minneapolis Art Institute. Automated thanks to @andreitr.bsky.social and @botfrens.bsky.social

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MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 1h

Posset pot collections.artsmia.org/art/111016

large footed cup with two handles; landscape with man carrying buckets on a yolk; woman behind milking cow; rocks with flowers and flying bird above at R on opposite side; foliate design on handles and around base

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 13h

Virgin of the Milk (Virgen de la leche) collections.artsmia.org/art/113688

seated figure of Mary with long, thick brown hair, wearing rich robes of gold, blue and red, holding nude baby Jesus on her lap, breastfeeding; Jesus' brown hair is styled in ringlets close to his head
This medieval sculpture of the Virgin Mary breastfeeding her son is unexpectedly naturalistic for its time. Milk was considered refined blood from the mother’s womb, and images of the Virgin breastfeeding the Christ child had theological significance. It was thought the Virgin’s milk, like the blood of Jesus on the cross, had redemptive properties.

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 18h

Northern Ice Flow collections.artsmia.org/art/13051

heavy lidded jar with 4 small feet; rounded rectangular shape with slanted shoulder; square lid; 2 small decorative handles at opposite corners; small pulled handle on lid; dark blue glaze overall with mosaic-like white tessura on top

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 19h

Sculpture collections.artsmia.org/art/111954

07-25; rectangular, hollow piece of wood with solid piece of wood placed inside; rectangular piece rests on flattened rectangular piece that is also hollow
Michael Peterson draws inspiration from the natural landscape of the Pacific Northwest. In recent years, Peterson has developed a series of madrone sculptures, carved damp with a chainsaw and left to shrink and warp as they dry. He sandblasts and paints the wood to exaggerate further the grain and texture. Ironically, these highly worked pieces of wood are then stacked into configurations that look as though found in the natural landscape. The rust-colored mottled surfaces of this sculpture relate directly to Peterson's description of the work as "continuing organic abstraction and a sense of landscape." The sculpture evokes a decaying fragment of a red madrone tree.

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 21h

Lidded jar collections.artsmia.org/art/5887

Nearly straight body with 2 flat 'handles'; flat lip at wide mouth; domed lid with handle with square opening; glazed greyish green with brown flecks

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Salad bowl collections.artsmia.org/art/100917

square dish with rounded, inward pointing corners; white with pink sides (interior and exterior) decorated with looping gold designs; two round cartouches with deer on red and white bases at opposite interior sides
This square salad bowl form was commonly made in China for export to the European market in the 1790s. At about the same time, England introduced protective tariffs on imported porcelain, paving the way for English manufacturers such as Worcester to fill consumer demand by producing their own versions of Chinese export forms. This in turn forced the Chinese into the American market and led to the ascension of domestic English porcelain.

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MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Wine glass, one of a set of twelve collections.artsmia.org/art/22960

freeblown green glass

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Plate collections.artsmia.org/art/14319

plate, ceramic, white ground, blue sprays near edge, center panel of water birds, cat. card dims Diam. 9-7/8', H. 1-1/4'

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MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

The Infant Christ Pressing the Wine of the Eucharist collections.artsmia.org/art/120392

bust portrait of Christ as a child with light wavy hair, with a high hairline, with head turned slightly toward PR; Christ squeezes a bunch of grapes in his PR hand, with the juice running into a white footed bowl; Christ holds a small bunch of grapes in his PL hand, which are reflected in the silver cross-topped domed cover in foreground; small portions of view of a landscapes in top corners; portrait in a tondo, with flowers in each corner
This small tapestry depicts the infant Jesus pressing grapes into a chalice. The imagery was widely understood at the time of its creation to reference the physical sacrifice Jesus would later make in his crucifixion. In the Christian ritual of the Eucharist, followers drink holy wine to remember Jesus’s suffering. The remarkably fine quality of the weaving suggests the tapestry was made in a preeminent Brussels workshop. The presence of gold and silk yarns proclaim the tapestry’s value as a high status object, but the intimate scale and subject matter suggest it was used by an elite individual within a devotional practice, most likely within the home.

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MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

"Abraham Lincoln" still bank collections.artsmia.org/art/82174

portrait bust of Lincoln; on back: "The Lincoln National Life Insurance Co."; slot and lock on underside; brass patina

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Wine Glass collections.artsmia.org/art/18137

Wine glass, glass, English, XVIIIc 1 of 6 glasses that goes with 54.9.1-decanter cat. card dims H 6-1/2' Holiday Traditions, Charleston Drawing Room

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Candlestick, one of as set of four collections.artsmia.org/art/18376

Candlestick, one of as set of four

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MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Candleholder collections.artsmia.org/art/20932

Queen Anne style, square molded-edge base with straight cut corners; square baluster shaped shaft continues cut corners upward to include socket

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

"Security Safe Deposit" still bank collections.artsmia.org/art/82214

square black and gold trim bank safe; 2 dial combination locks/unlocks door; star appearance with letters at outer dial, numbers on inner; sides and top divided into 4 quadrants, each contains a plant image; 4 rounded feet; coin slot at top center

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Bowl collections.artsmia.org/art/106758

bowl on small, thick, concave foot; golden brown with star-like knot design at bottom interior center; grey streaks on sides
Ron Kent prefers to work with the unusual grain patterns of Norfolk Island pine, which is local to his home of Hawaii. While traditional woodworkers dry the wood before turning it, Kent turns his pine when it is "wet" or "green." To stabilize the often paper-thin forms and give them the translucency his work is best known for, he then soaks them in vats of oil.

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

"Petipoint" iron collections.artsmia.org/art/6952

One could argue that Stevens’ Petipoint was the racecar of the ironing world at the time, with its streamlined wings on either side. They actually facilitated air-cooling, keeping the user’s hand and the thermostat area cool. The upswept back portion of the iron is the “petit point” for detailing ruffles and pleats. Knapp-Monarch advertised that its Flatwork Ironer, specially designed for flat linens like sheets and tablecloths, would “cut flatwork ironing time by ⅓.” Its round shape allowed it to move in any direction and it had versatile settings for linen, cotton, wool, silk, and artificial silk. The irony (pun intended) here is that although these appliances performed very well, they often increased the amount of in-home ironing done by housewives, who earlier would have sent linens out for pressing.

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Perfume bottle collections.artsmia.org/art/19645

green glass

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Spice container collections.artsmia.org/art/60507

Spice box in the form of a locomotive. Hexagonal body; silver wire scrolls on each side; 2 smokestacks; 2 movable axels with floriform spokes

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Cann collections.artsmia.org/art/15544

cann; bulbous body; molded base; 'S' scrolled handle

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Paperweight collections.artsmia.org/art/18196

millefiori - rows of various colored flowers; lace background; consists of an outer row of predominantly and alternating pink and blue set ups, inside of which appear five generously spaced predominantly canary colored large sided set ups; in the center of the weight appears a still larger circular shaped set up with pink center and green edge

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Iced tea spoon, from "Classic Column" flatware set collections.artsmia.org/art/106611

top half of handle has fluted concave grooves running length, widening to tip; lower half of handle has smooth round neck, flaring to round spoon
Marion Weeber was an independent American industrial designer who attended the progressive art school run by the Art Students League of New York. She worked for several prestigious firms including Cartier, Ekco, and Samuel Kirk & Son, but eventually opened her own design firm in Manhattan in 1939. She holds over twenty-five patents for her innovative and inventive designs. "Classic Column" is perhaps the most storied of Weeber's fifty-plus flatware designs. It was selected by the U.S. Commission for Design Excellence for the American Pavilion at the 1967 International and Universal Exposition in Montreal. Precise and polished geometric forms reflect an American industrial aesthetic, exemplifying the forward-looking image the United States wished to present to the world.

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MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

"Embassy" wine glass collections.artsmia.org/art/40246

Vertically ribbed flat-section stem: Model #4900
Inspired by the unadorned elegance of contemporary Scandinavian glass, and competing with the fine lead glass being made by Corning's Steuben Glass division, the Libbey Glass Company hired Edwin W. Fuerst to design a line of glassware named "Modern American." Teague collaborated with Fuerst on this "Embassy" pattern, a classic Art Deco design with fluted, rectangular stems. "Embassy" was chosen by Teague for use in the State Dining Room of the U.S. Government Building at the 1939 New York World's Fair, where it was well exposed. It was also featured in the 1940 Studio Year Book, an important journal of contemporary decorative arts.

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Art-glass panel for a bay window collections.artsmia.org/art/4688

This design reflects Purcell's fascination with modern technology. In 1939 Purcell wrote about his inspiration for these windows. In 1909 at the Orpheum vaudeville show Purcell saw a "moving picture" called The June Bug featuring the aviator Glenn Curtiss flying his biplane. "To partners who were endeavoring in their work to relate Architecture and the Machine, such a sight gave serious pause. I made a record of my feelings by putting a 'June Bug' biplane against some big piled-up clouds in the leaded glass transoms of the new Stricker dining room bay window."

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Odd Fellows ceremonial sceptre collections.artsmia.org/art/8306

red septre with gold ram's horns at the final

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Platter collections.artsmia.org/art/104696

very large, heavy round platter; ring foot; double rim; grey with brown spots and two brown dripped spirals on top
Warren MacKenzie has been creating functional and well-crafted wares in Minnesota since the mid-1950s. After graduating from the Art Institute of Chicago and apprenticing with English potter Bernard Leach, MacKenzie and his first wife Alix established a pottery outside Stillwater, Minnesota. MacKenzie has always insisted that his pots be available to everyone and be used every day. His work and philosophy have inspired his many students at the University of Minnesota, some of whom have stayed in the area to make Minnesota a thriving and important ceramic art center. MacKenzie adopted the tenets of mingei, or Japanese folk craft, in his pottery, revived by Japanese ceramics artists such as Kanjiro Kawai and Shoji Hamada along with Leach. This Japanese folk craft tradition is defined by handmade objects intended to be functional in daily life and that keep the maker's identity anonymous. This large platter is an impressive example of MacKenzie's everyday wares, featuring a prominent and expressive swirl of brown slip for decoration.

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Plate collections.artsmia.org/art/15268

round, scratched and oxidized, with a plain rim reinforced by reeding underneath, this type came into favor c. 1750.

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Small Beaker collections.artsmia.org/art/20986

small beaker, clear glass painted in enamel with a flower and leaves with two sets of initials (ME and HE)

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

"August" Tile collections.artsmia.org/art/89776

transfer design in brown, grey and cream of two men in a field: man at rear cuts wheat, man at L drinks from a small keg; "AUGST/ 31 days" in URC

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

"Turkey, Small" still bank collections.artsmia.org/art/90453

metal standing turkey with spread tail; red head and neck

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Soup plate collections.artsmia.org/art/40994

Stencilled green geometric design
Behrens worked as a painter and illustrator before he joined the Darmstadt artists colony in Germany, where he designed a house and all its furnishings. He trained as a graphic designer, and that can be seen in his complex, concentric designs seen here in the dinnerware for German firm Bauscher. It must have seemed extremely modern at the turn of the century. Behrens's designs were promoted in department stores as part of the ideal of broadly available, good modernist design. He went on to be the first individual to practice industrial design in the modern sense, creating a graphic identity and products for Berlin electric firm AEG as early as 1907.

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

"Electric Safe" still bank collections.artsmia.org/art/90277

rectangular metal box safe with dial on front; black with lightening bolts on sides and back; on front is printed: "Citizens Savings Bank Electric Safe"

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

"Hope for Tomorrow" tzedakah box collections.artsmia.org/art/63687

square form with overlapping, entwined nude figures; figures holding baby on top and on one side; figures holding chalice on one side; glossy brown with gold areas showing through surface color; cast from clay original (L2002.52)

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

The Coaci Inkstand collections.artsmia.org/art/1748

The inkstand is a replica of the Quirinal Monument in Rome and was made to commemorate its erection during the pontificate of Pius VI. The composition includes an Egyptian obalisk, and four horse tamers that can be swung from their bases on levers to reveal an inkwell and a sandbox; Sphinxes' headdresses conceal candle sockets; one of the drawers contains an assortment of tromp l'oeil engravings; two doves can be made to kiss by means of a lever located in the fountain; the inkstand has a leather carrying case that resembles a medieval fortified town, with gates, battlements and a bell tower.
This ingeniously complex inkstand may have been presented to Pope Pius VI to commemorate completion, in 1786, of the Quirinal Monument in Rome, just across from the pope’s summer palace. As seen in the inkstand, the monument incorporates an Egyptian obelisk, which was unearthed about a mile away, and two ancient Roman sculptures of horse tamers. The horse tamers on the inkstand swing out with the press of a lever, revealing an inkwell and sander (a shaker for sprinkling fine sand or powdered talc over wet ink to speed its drying). The sphinxes’ headdresses conceal candleholders, and the center drawer contains an assortment of illusionistic engravings, including Coaci’s trade card. The two doves can be made to kiss by means of a lever located under the fountain.

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

"Pelican, Arab in Beak" mechanical bank collections.artsmia.org/art/81289

large brown pelican sitting on oval base; "Arab" figure in pelican's mouth; leaves, fishes and shells on base

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Hanukkah lamp collections.artsmia.org/art/51287

building with arched doorway in a protruding porch; 4 arched windows; roof flips up to reveal candle holders

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Candlestick, one of a pair collections.artsmia.org/art/27795

Pair of Clear Blown Candlesticks, second quarter of the 19th century, glass, with original pewter candlecups.

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Lunar Sphere collections.artsmia.org/art/62044

light-colored wood sphere, with brown striations; round hole near one end; unfinished surface; very small flat "base"

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Octagonal Bottle collections.artsmia.org/art/21059

octagonal bottle, milk glass painted in enamel with sprays of red, blue and yellow flowers, short applied neck

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Portrait of Mrs. Grace Morrison Kimball collections.artsmia.org/art/1641

Formal portrait bust of a middle-aged woman, solemn facial expression, wearing a ruffled collar made of printed fabric, no jewelry.
Grace Morrison Kimball was the daughter of Dorilus Morrison (1814–97), the first mayor of the city of Minneapolis and owner of an imposing home called Villa Rosa. Her brother, Clinton Morrison, donated the land on which the house stood to the Society of Fine Arts in 1911, to be used for an art museum—the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Pineapple still bank collections.artsmia.org/art/90187

yellow -orange pineapple with green top; coin slot below leaves

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Cream jug collections.artsmia.org/art/15208

jug decorated around rim and on handle with beading; this shows influence of silversmith design

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MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Teapot, from a three-piece service collections.artsmia.org/art/12986

oval shaped with flat top and bottom; lid hinged on one long side; bottom section of handle and knob are ivory; slender spout
This elegant German Art Deco-style tea service was purchased at the 1999 Annual Antiques Show and Sale, as an intended gift to The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The teapot and sugar are constructed of oval forms, stacked skyscraper-like, with little ornamentation. A silver rectangle links the counter-curved handles to the bodies of the teapot and creamer, adding an industrial, machine-age feel. At this time, both the maker and the client are unknown.

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Chocolatière (chocolate pot) collections.artsmia.org/art/6983

silver pot with gold vermeil interior and wood and ivory stirrer
Chocolate pots were frequently used in the early 19th century when chocolate was at its height of popularity. Due to rather primitive refining processes it had to be stirred continously so the rich sediment wouldn't settle. The small hole and sliding cover in the lid accommodated a stirrer (spun between both hands). It was exhibited at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, but despite what appears to be a worn ivory handle (then considered to be an aesthetic enhancement) the work has never been used.

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MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Pair of "chrysanthemum" Candelabra collections.artsmia.org/art/1506

This pair of candelabra were either bought by Frank Totton Heffelfinger of Minneapolis, an avid collector of silver, as a gift for his wife, or given to the couple as a wedding present. They are in the Chrysanthemum pattern, first introduced by Tiffany & Co. in the 1880s from designs by Charles T. Grosjean, superintendent of the silverware production for the firm. This pattern was extremely popular and included flatware as well as monumental pieces such as these candelabra.

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MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Iced tea spoon, from "Classic Column" flatware set collections.artsmia.org/art/106610

top half of handle has fluted concave grooves running length, widening to tip; lower half of handle has smooth round neck, flaring to round spoon
Marion Weeber was an independent American industrial designer who attended the progressive art school run by the Art Students League of New York. She worked for several prestigious firms including Cartier, Ekco, and Samuel Kirk & Son, but eventually opened her own design firm in Manhattan in 1939. She holds over twenty-five patents for her innovative and inventive designs. "Classic Column" is perhaps the most storied of Weeber's fifty-plus flatware designs. It was selected by the U.S. Commission for Design Excellence for the American Pavilion at the 1967 International and Universal Exposition in Montreal. Precise and polished geometric forms reflect an American industrial aesthetic, exemplifying the forward-looking image the United States wished to present to the world.

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MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Cup and saucer, from "American Modern Play Dishes" set collections.artsmia.org/art/67053

light grey plastic cup with dark grey flecks; green saucer with grey flecks

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Parcel Gilt Spoon, one of four collections.artsmia.org/art/27071

Parcel Gilt Spoon, one of four

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Venus in a Shell I collections.artsmia.org/art/1889

Cast no. 6/ 10; cast in 1931
Venus, the ancient Roman goddess of love and beauty, sits upon a seashell, the traditional symbol of her birth from the waters of the sea. Matisse chose to emphasize a strong vertical accent in this sculpture, creating a pronounced sense of ascendancy that underscores the mythological theme.

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MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

One of twenty-one seals collections.artsmia.org/art/94041

attached on a single string; various semi-precious stones

MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot) @miadecorativearts.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Plate collections.artsmia.org/art/111006

plate with partial armorial inscribed, "E P 1677"; armorial has bowl at center top, dragons L and R, face center bottom; flowers and vines around bottom between dragons