Pendant Capsule in the Form of a Tau Cross, with the Trinity and the Virgin and Child

Pendant Capsule in the Form of a Tau Cross, with the Trinity and the Virgin and Child

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Tau cross was associated with Saint Anthony and with protection from "Saint Anthony’s fire," or ergotism, caused by consumption of spoiled rye. This beautifully engraved capsule, with an interior cavity for an allopathic herbal compound, may have belonged to a member of a confraternity of Antonines, established in England in the mid-fifteenth century and dedicated to the care of those suffering from Saint Anthony’s fire. Under the angle of each arm is a rivet stem that originally held a pearl. At the bottom edge of the cross is a hole for suspending a tiny bell.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pendant Capsule in the Form of a Tau Cross, with the Trinity and the Virgin and ChildPendant Capsule in the Form of a Tau Cross, with the Trinity and the Virgin and ChildPendant Capsule in the Form of a Tau Cross, with the Trinity and the Virgin and ChildPendant Capsule in the Form of a Tau Cross, with the Trinity and the Virgin and ChildPendant Capsule in the Form of a Tau Cross, with the Trinity and the Virgin and Child

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.