Base for a Statuette

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The two satirical scenes that decorate this carving take inspiration from the complexities of love. One suggests the attraction between the sexes during courtship, while the other alludes to infidelity after marriage. Moralistic themes of this sort were often inspired by late medieval theater.

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