Why is this imitation gallstone held in such an extravagant case?

"Works of art aren’t what they seem always."

"Works of art aren't what they seem always."

Curator Maryam Ekhtiar on a Goa stone enclosed in an ornate gold case.

Explore this object:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/454738

Throughout 2013, The Met invited curators from across the Museum to each talk about one artwork that changed the way they see the world. Each episode is interpreted by a Museum photographer.

Photography by Eileen Travell

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Contributors

Maryam Ekhtiar
Patti Cadby Birch Curator, Department of Islamic Art

Futuristic sculpture of a fragmented, abstract human form in stone against a neoclassical arch. The tone is dynamic and modern amidst classical architecture.
How do Lee Bul’s sculptures hold space for critical remembrance to show how the past shapes our present?
Anne Anlin Cheng
May 16
Close-up of a Queen of Clubs playing card with a cut-out section. Behind it, a faded, ghostly face is visible, creating a surreal, mysterious mood.
The artist’s work challenges the social and political context of mass incarceration.
Lisa Sutcliffe
April 28
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Goa Stone and Gold Case, Container: gold; pierced, repoussé, with cast legs and finials<br/>Goa stone: compound of organic and inorganic materials
late 17th–early 18th century