Virgin and Child (from an group with the Adoration of the Magi)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The story of the magi (wise men) offering gifts to the newborn Jesus was among the most popular of biblical subjects decorating northern Iberian churches in the later twelfth century. These sculptures (see also 30.77.6–.7, .9) typically portray the scene as a courtly encounter. Here, Mary and her infant son sit enthroned underneath an honorific canopy. Two magi (once accompanied by a now-lost third magus) approach mother and child with reverent postures. All of the figures’ voluminous garments help to convey the richness of the scene, evoking the setting of a foreign delegation’s visit. At odds with the humble setting of Jesus’ birth, this elevated portrayal serves to celebrate the event. The dozing figure at right is Joseph, husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus. His slumber alludes to his prophetic dreams, described in the Gospel of Matthew, which enabled him to protect his family. Sometime in the 1920s, these sculptures were photographed set into a side wall of the church of Our Lady of the Plain at Cerezo de Río Tirón, which had been abandoned at the end of the eighteenth century. Originally, the sculptures may have been located over the church’s main door.

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