Embroidered Hanging

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Medieval theology often interpreted episodes from Hebrew scripture as prefigurations of events in the New Testament. The Sacrifice of Isaac, for example, was seen as an allusion to the Crucifixion. The present embroidery likely had a pendant depicting scenes from the life of Christ. The presence of saints venerated especially in Hildesheim, such as Epiphanius, Bernward, and Godehard, supports an attribution to a convent in the vicinity. The coats of arms are those of the landgrave of Hesse and the house of Lichtfuss.

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art