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Claudius Tazza

ca. 1587–99
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 520
The Claudius Tazza, originally from a set of twelve depicting the stories of Roman emperors, was likely made in Antwerp for a member of the Habsburg dynasty, who insisted on their right to rulership by claiming imperial Roman lineage. The ensemble’s shallow dishes would have been displayed together on a stepped buffet on special occasions. The alloy composition of the silver used for this metalwork matches that mined by enslaved Indigenous workers in the South American colony of Potosí under the oppression of Habsburg-funded conquistadors. The tazze are not only objects that project imperial aspiration: they are literal products of that power and the brutality that accompanied it.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Claudius Tazza
  • Maker: Unknown , Flemish, Antwerp ?, late 16th c.
  • Date: ca. 1587–99
  • Culture: Flemish, Antwerp (?)
  • Medium: Gilded silver
  • Classification: Metalwork-Silver
  • Credit Line: Wrightsman Fund, 2024
  • Object Number: 2024.436
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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