
Cameo with Head of Female Saint Wearing Wimple
An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art
The cutting of semiprecious stones in the tradition of antique cameos was relatively rare in the Middle Ages. Because there is little comparative material, it is difficult to determine when the surviving examples were made. The style of this female face suggests a French origin.
Medieval Art and The Cloisters
An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art
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.