Medal Obverse: Equestrian Portrait of Emperor Constantine (r. 307–337) Reverse: Allegory of Salvation

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Jean, duc de Berry, was an avid collector of precious objects that often referred, however distantly, to antiquity. This is a reproduction of a lost medal that the duke acquired or commissioned in Paris in November 1402 and later had cast in gold. This medal and another depicting Heraclius survive only in later casts. Their compositions, figural designs, and exotic costume details are echoed in several of the duke’s manuscripts illuminated by the Limbourg brothers, including the Belles Heures.

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