Saint Barbara

Saint Barbara

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This sculpture was probably meant to be seen against a pier or in a niche behind an altar in a French parish church. The massiveness of the figure and the heavy, deep folds of drapery derive from the stylistic innovations of two earlier sculptors working in Burgundy: Claus Sluter (ca. 1345-1405/6) and Claux de Werve (1380-1439).

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.