The arrival of the holiday season at The Met Store brings with it a host of yuletide delights, including holiday cards, art calendars, and collectible art ornaments. Among the standouts of this season are five 3D holiday ornaments inspired by iconic artworks in The Met collection.
Met Store Ornaments
This year’s selection of art ornaments pays tribute to a range of sources in The Met collection, including an ancient Egyptian statuette, the famed Unicorn Tapestries, and François Pompon’s striking polar bear sculpture.
William Ornament
The blue hippopotamus figurine known as William®, The Met’s unofficial mascot, has been delighting Museum visitors for generations. Dating to around 1961–1878 BCE, the ancient Egyptian statuette stands at just under five inches tall and is made of faience, a ceramic material composed of ground quartz. Our sparkling blue ornament, with its detailed river-plant decoration, salutes this beloved artwork.
Degas Little Dancer Ornament
Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917) first showed his wax statuette of The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer—the only sculpture he ever presented in public—at the sixth Impressionist exhibition in Paris in 1881. The model for this piece was Marie van Goethem, a student dancer at the Paris Opera Ballet. The Museum’s edition, cast in bronze in 1922, serves as the source for this fanciful Christmas ornament.
Unicorn Ornament
Cherished treasures of The Met Cloisters, the seven hangings known as the Unicorn Tapestries were luxuriously woven in fine wool and silk with silver and gilded threads. Perhaps the most celebrated of these tapestries is The Unicorn Rests in a Garden. In this work, the unicorn is tethered to a tree and is thought to symbolize the beloved tamed. Our hand-painted ornament evokes the majestic beauty of the exquisite original.
The Favorite Cat Ornament
Cat lovers, this one’s for you! The lovable gray tabby from Nathaniel Currier's (American, 1813–1888) hand-colored lithograph The Favorite Cat (1838–48) has been reimagined in three dimensions, just in time for the holidays. This fabulous feline ornament makes a charming addition to any tree, mantel, or even bookshelf. Currier, who later achieved lasting fame as coprincipal of the celebrated New York–printmaking firm Currier & Ives (American, 1857–1907), created more than 40 prints featuring cats, most being humorous or sentimental representations done in the 1870s.
Pompon Polar Bear Ornament
When 67-year-old François Pompon (French, 1855–1933) first exhibited a life-size plaster sculpture of a striding polar bear at the 1922 Salon d’automne, it proved to be so popular that the sculptor, who had served as a studio assistant to Auguste Renoir in his youth, was compelled to produce related models in a variety of sizes and materials, including this marble example in the Museum’s holdings. Our adaptation of Pompon’s striking sculpture lends a wintry touch to any Christmas tree or holiday display.
Find More Collectible Art Ornaments
Visit us in-store or online to view more art ornaments from this year’s holiday collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What are museum-inspired art ornaments?
Museum-inspired art ornaments are holiday decorations based on artworks, historic objects, architectural details, textiles, or design traditions found in a museum collection. Their value comes from the connection between the ornament and the source of inspiration. At The Met Store, art ornaments draw from The Met collection, helping shoppers choose Christmas ornaments that feel connected to art history rather than generic seasonal decoration. -
Why are museum-inspired ornaments good gifts for art lovers?
Museum-inspired ornaments appeal to art lovers because they offer a small, displayable connection to a favorite museum, period, or design tradition. They can reflect interests in painting, sculpture, textiles, decorative arts, medieval design, fashion, or architecture. Instead of giving a purely decorative object, you are giving a piece with context: a holiday keepsake shaped by art and cultural history. -
Why choose art-inspired ornaments instead of standard Christmas ornaments?
Art-inspired ornaments offer more narrative value than standard Christmas ornaments. They can reference a specific artwork, motif, material, place, or historic period, which makes them more memorable on a tree and more personal as gifts. For shoppers who want unique Christmas ornaments, museum-inspired designs provide a way to decorate with pieces that carry visual beauty, cultural context, and a connection to the collection that inspired them.
