Temperance 

Peter Flötner made this small bronze plaque, "Temperance", sometime in the first half of the 16th century. Bronze, of course, is an alloy of copper and tin, heated until molten and then cast. Here, the figure of Temperance dominates the scene, seated in the foreground, carefully mixing water from one vessel into another. Look closely and you can see that she is surrounded by intricate details: a landscape with buildings, clouds, and even an hourglass floating overhead. The overall effect is one of controlled harmony, perfectly suited to the subject. Flötner was working at a time when the division between art and craft was much less clear than it is today. He would have been trained as a goldsmith, and this piece shows that sensibility. It’s easy to imagine how the mold for this bronze would have been carefully carved, perhaps in wood or wax, requiring a different but equally impressive set of skills. When you consider the labor involved, it encourages you to think about the value we place on creativity, in all its diverse forms.