Flash Sale Met Birds Handmade Glass Ornament Set Ornaments

Metropolitan Museum of Art Christmas ornaments.A perfect present for the art-loving birder in your life, this ornament set includes eight of our beloved handmade glass birds. Around 1820, John James Audubon (American, b. Haiti, 1785–1851) made it his mission to paint every bird in North America. He subsequently created over 400 preparatory watercolors for what would become The Birds of America, a lavish book of copperplate etchings, engravings, and aquatints, originally printed between 1827 and 1838. He then published 500 smaller hand-colored lithographs based on his designs between 1840 and 1844. The hummingbirds, blue jay, nuthatch, finch, cardinal, and owl ornaments included in this set pay tribute to Audubon’s careful study of and enduring fascination with birds.Our robin ornament recalls the charming bird depicted on an early 20th-century collector card. The Redbreast was issued by the Schulze Baking Company to promote their “Big Dandy Bread,” and belonged to a series of 44 cards illustrating various birds and animals. This commercial color lithograph is now in The Met’s Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, an integral part of the Museum’s collection of ephemera. Often issued in series, these colorful cards were eagerly collected and traded by the American public. To learn more about the history of The Met Store’s collectible art ornaments and shop other art-inspired designs, read our blog post here.