Metmuseum.org: Household linen
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art Chinese Dragon Rank Badge Tea Towel
29.95 USD
Art-inspired gifts for the home. This eye-catching tea towel nods to a Chinese rank badge made in the 18th-19th century during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Spectacularly embroidered rank badges were worn by government officials of the Ming and Qing dynasties; badges with birds indicated a civil official while animals such as the tiger were reserved for military officers, and each creature corresponded to a specific rank. In this example, a ferocious dragon with deer hooves hovers amid swirling clouds over a raging sea. Typically, the dragon was associated with the imperial family, with specific features such as the number of claws indicating the status of the wearer.
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art William Morris Strawberry Thief Placemats
37.95 USD
Artful kitchen accessories inspired by The Met collection. This eye-catching cork-backed set of four placemats showcases a detail from Strawberry Thief (registered 1883, printed 1917-23), one of William Morris's (British, 1834-1896) most iconic creations. The inspiration for this kaleidoscopic textile in the Museum's holdings was derived from the designer's country home, Kelmscott Manor, where a community of thieving thrushes would pluck the strawberries from his garden.
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art Lyon Floral Tea Towel
29.95 USD
Art-inspired gifts for the home. The sumptuous floral motif on this tea towel comes from a striking silk piece in The Met's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection. Undulating vines bearing colorful blooms reach along the Museum's woven textile, which was produced at the manufactory Bouvard, Burel et Cie in Lyon, France, around the year 1860. The pairing of golden details with a rich crimson background is evocative of Renaissance silks, though the naturalism with which the flowers are rendered exemplifies a level of detail achieved by way of modern 19th-century developments in machine weaving.
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art Van Gogh Irises Placemats
37.95 USD
Gifts for art lovers, inspired by The Met collection. Vincent van Gogh's iconic irises feature on these eye-catching cork placemats. Just before his departure from the Saint-Rémy asylum in May of 1890, the artist created four radiant spring bouquets, including the exuberant Irises (1890) in the Museum's collection of European paintings. Van Gogh sought to achieve a "harmonious and soft" effect by placing the "violet" flowers against a "pink background," but owing to his use of fugitive red pigments, these colors have since faded. Read our blog post
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art William Morris Brother Rabbit Unisex Cotton Robe - Large/X-Large
34.65 USD
An artful gift inspired by The Met collection. William Morris (British, 1834-1896) conceived of the charming pattern on this robe, which he called Brother Rabbit, ahead of the 1881 opening of the Merton Abbey Tapestry Works. Registered in 1882 and printed about 1917-23, Brother Rabbit was produced in multiple colorways, including the red-and-white example belonging to The Met. The fanciful concept was inspired by nature, medieval textiles, and, notably, Brer Rabbit, a character from the 19th-century stories by J. C. Harris, which were popular with the Morris children.
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art Dehn Spring in Central Park Tea Towel
29.95 USD
Refresh your kitchen with a springtime scene from The Met collection. Our tea towel features a delightful detail from Adolf Dehn's (American, 1895-1968) Spring in Central Park (1941), an idyllic watercolor capturing a vernal Sheep Meadow with midtown Manhattan landmarks rising in the distance. Dehn immortalized so many dimensions of New York City life, from Central Park through the seasons to Harlem nightclubs and burlesque theaters.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Van Gogh Irises Tea Towel
29.95 USD
Our tea towel adapts the ecstatic blooms from a spring bouquet by Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890). In May of 1890, just before his departure from the asylum in Saint-Rémy, the artist painted four exceptional still lifes, including the exuberant Irises (1890) in The Met collection. These bouquets were imagined as a decorative ensemble, like the suite of sunflowers the artist made earlier in Arles.